Abdulrahman Zeitoun and The Hero with a Thousand Faces - Essay Example

? Abdurrahman Zeitoun and The Hero with a Thousand Faces This paper attempts to apply John Campbell’s criteria for heroic deeds to a real life case in the modern world. For this, Campbell’s description of a Hero’s life and the different stages of the journey are enumerated first. He has specified three main criteria pertaining to the Hero’s adventures. Then, the paper takes the experiences of Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a Syrian American and evaluates his actions on the basis of Campbell’s criteria. Zeitoun’s actions have transformed him into a modern-day heroic figure whose case can serve as an example to inspire people around the world on how to emerge unscathed and victorious from adversity. Joseph Campbell in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces has tried to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding religious and mythological figures with the help of examples. The mythological texts have glorified personalities who have displayed courage to undertake superhuman deeds. In the first stage, the Hero ventures from the ordinary world to a supernatural realm. During the course of his journey, he encounters great forces and ultimately prevails upon them. Finally, he returns to his land with special powers which he then imparts to his fellow men. Therefore, the adventure path of the hero usually passes through three different stages: separation, initiation and return. In ancient mythology, whoever desired to embark on a journey of life and explore the way was encouraged to carry on: “Whosoever desires to explore the Way – Let them set out- for what more is there to say – “ (Campbell 23) This idea conveys that embarking on the journey of life helps man to discover his inner self. He realizes the true identity of his soul and learns about the mission that he has been sent to accomplish. The idea about the completeness of life is unraveled to him. The journey of life is embodied on the concept of a continuous endeavor to move forward without stopping to think and procrastinate. This resembles the journey of the Hero in his quest for glory. The mythological accounts of the heroic achievements of men have served as an inspiration to the future generations of civilization. (Campbell xxiv). In his book, Campbell describes vividly each of the three stages in a typical adventurous journey of the Hero. He illustrates his description with suitable cases from ancient religion and mythology. The first stage of the Hero’s Departure or Separation from the ordinary world begins with the Hero receiving Supernatural’s Call to Adventure. Though he turns down the Call at first, the Hero receives the assurance of Supernatural assistance. Thus he ventures on his journey and begins to cross the thresholds of his course. The second stage elaborates on the Hero’s “Initiation” to the Supernatural World. His journey to this ethereal world is filled with numerous trials and tribulations, but he emerges victorious with the help of his extra powers. As a reward, the Hero has the good fortune of meeting the Goddess. However, his experiences in this world are not free from temptations and in some cases, the Hero is compelled to submit to these provocations. Inspite of this, The Holy Father gives him a chance of atonement and the Hero is washed of his sins. The Hero is thus elevated to a divine status and receives supreme powers as a mark of his divinity. The final stage describes the Hero’s “Return” from the ethereal realm to the common world. The Hero is transported back to his own ordinary world through a magic flight. He overcomes the “Return Threshold” and reaches his native place. Endowed with supernatural powers, the Hero now becomes the Master of both the ordinary and the ethereal world. (Campbell 45-221) David Egger’s book Zeitoun is a non-fictional work regarding the Zietoun family in New Orleans. It is a true account of the deeds of Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a Syrian-American, when his family encountered the Hurricane storm Katrina and the events that followed thereafter. It is a challenge to apply John Campbell’s description of a Hero’s journey to the real-life story of Abdulrahman Zeitoun. While Campbell describes the exploits of the Hero in the mythological setting, the story of Zeitoun takes place in the modern world of New Orleans, USA. Inspite of this, when Zietoun’s experiences are evaluated in terms of Campbell’s criteria of heroism, Zeitoun emerges as a real-life hero for the stable way he conducted his life in a crisis. Although Abdulrahman Zeitoun was born in Jableh, Syria, he settled in the USA in 1988 as the owner of a painting and contracting business. He married Kathy from Baton Rouge and they started their own company in New Orleans– Zeitoun Painting Contractors LLC. In August 2005, when the hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, Kathy Zeitoun took refuge in her homeland Baton Rouge along with the children. However, her husband stayed behind to guard their home, work sites and their rental properties. This stage of Zeitoun’s experience can be compared to the first stage of “Departure or Separation” that Campbell specifies in a Hero’s life. Just as the Hero leaves the ordinary world to venture into the supernatural world, at the onset of the storm, Zeitoun was compelled to be separated from his family and stay behind in New Orleans to face the aftermath of the natural calamity. After this ensues Zeitoun’s remarkable journey in adversity, which is similar to the Hero’s trials and tribulations in the ethereal world. The hurricane had left New Orleans shattered and submerged in a few feet-deep waters. Zeitoun gathered his essential supplies together and set out in the waters in an old canoe. He started distributing the supplies to stranded people, carried many persons to safe ground and also rescued many abandoned pets. He ensured that his tenants were also safe. Zeitoun’s courageous actions in the face of a catastrophe remind one of the second stage, “Initiation” in the Hero’s adventures where he encounters various trials and tribulations on the way. Just as the Hero emerges victorious through the adversities, Zeitoun showed his true character in such a crisis situation. However, this was not the end of trials for Abdulrahman Zeitoun. During the beginning of September, a group of local police and National Guards arrested Zeitoun along with three of his companions from one of his rental properties on charges of belonging to the Terrorist Group – Al Quaida. They suspected Zeitoun to be engaged in anti-national militant activities suspecting his origin. The Guards imprisoned them in a temporary jail for three days and then transported them to a Correctional Center in Lousiana. Although, the arrestors could not bring any specific charges against the prisoners Zeitoun was detained in this Center for twenty days. He was not given a fair trial and was even refused medical assistance when he asked for the same. He was completely detached from his family and was not allowed to contact them. This stage of Zeitoun’s experiences is analogous to the temptations that the Hero encounters in the second stage of “Initiations”. Zeitoun could have easily reacted violently against his arrestors being arrested without any specific reason. However, he had chosen to show restraint and behave in a stable manner even in such a situation indicating that he had been able to prevail over the temptation. Zeitoun was accused for stealing from his own house and finally released on a bail of $ 75, 000. It has been almost six years since Zeitoun has returned to his native place and has strived to rebuild his life both on the personal and professional fronts. In the third and final stage, Campbell enumerates the “Return” of the Hero to his homeland. Endowed with supernatural powers, he proceeds to bestow them on his fellowmen. Zeitoun does not harbor vengeful feelings against the US Authorities inspite of being charged as a terrorist. Instead, he has dedicated his life towards rebuilding New Orleans after the hurricane and has already rescued 250 damaged houses, some schools and a museum. Similar to the actions of the Hero, Zeitoun has amalgamated the important lessons from his past experiences and have channelized them towards a greater goal. (Eggers, 15-70) The experiences of Abdulrahman Zeitoun can be termed as a hero story. Joseph Campbell would consider Abdulrahman Zeitoun as a heroic character according to the different characteristics described by him. Zeitoun’s endeavors following the hurricane Katrina are a true example of grit and courage in the face of adversity. Though Campbell’s original description of Heroism is set against the ancient mythological background it can be suitably modified to be applied in the modern day case of Zeitoun. The man’s extraordinary efforts in crisis underline the fact that true Heroes and their respective deeds are not restricted to any period of time or country. References 1. Campbell Joseph, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, USA Princeton University Press 2004 2. Eggers Dave, Zeitoun, New York Vintage Books 2009 Read More