A Separate Peace by John Knowles!!!!

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Anthemby by Ayn Rand pages 41-105

Summary- The men from Equality 7-2521 have been still hiding in their cave every night discovering new things every day. The even discovered a group of women called Liberty 5-3000, but they called them the 'Golden Ones' They really liked them and secretely they have been waiting for them to come out everyday at the same time and the same place. Then one day they met each other and both parties seemed to like each other. Equilaities have been alone through this whole process trying to figure out the whole meaning of things. Then one day it came to them they discovered how to make light. They were so thrilled, but they couldn't tell anyone until the World coucil came to their town. When they showed them the light the council was frightened and they knew that this wasn't true for they didn't want anyone figuring out things. Before they could arrest them. Equality jumped out the window and ran into the forest were  none was aloud to go. On their way they saw the Golden Ones, who were following them the whole time. They go days into the forest until one day they find a beautiful house that was very old. They claimed it for themselves and they will live with the Golden Ones creating a new family and a new generation and a new town.
Quote- "Council of Scholars is blind." ( Rand 52)
Reaction- This quote is a really good quote from the book because it shows that these men are actually figuring out the secrets and the issues behind this town, and then they realize that it is actually the Scholars are blind for not seeing the new inventions. As this book gets closer to the end these intelligent people get closer and closer in becoming more themselves as indivuals instead of being all robotic in life. I see that they become more aware of the situation where the government is corrupting their minds and that they should be doing something better with their lives.

Monday, May 30, 2011

Anthem by Ayn Rand pg1-40

Summary-
          The group Equality 7-2521 are a group of, intelligent, six feet  tall men. Since they are extremely tall and extremely willing to learn and ask questions they are secluded from all of town, where most teachers pick on them, and are always targated. The people in charge of the town were the Palace of the World Council. They are like a a governent in the American society. They control everything, including the school system and jail system. According to the rules children go to school at the age of five and then when they turn fifteen years old they go to work. The Teachers and the Councils are the ones who decide what job the group of fifteen year olds will occupy in life. Since the equality 7-2521 is a know it all according to the teachers and they are always targeted  so the Council put them to work as street sweepers. They wanted to honor this job and try to become as one with others so they took it proudly. Then one day, they found an unknown fence, that the councils didn't know about and they explored the other side. They found a tunnel, so after they decided to keep this a secret and go to it after dark. There they read talked and learned knew things. They also discovered things that no one else knows. This is their secret hide out.

Quote-
       "It is dark here" ( Rand 17).

Reaction-
          This book seems like it is picking on the government of society and how it holds you back in your lifes success ladder. The quote above seems like it symbolizes darkness and the fact that there is no hope. Which is pretty related to the book because it seems that the group of 7-2521 are hopeless and can't find a way out of this horrible place which will probably leave them hopeless. There was this really funny part where they were like they learned a lot of things like that the world is flat, when in reality it is actually round. I don't like the town in this book, it seems that the inteligent ones are outcasts and the idiotic ones are the ones that fit in the town. I think this is all because they don't want the smart groups to figure out that they are hypnotizing people into their place. They don't want them to begin riots and arguments. They don't want anyones say in their society.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Spirit of the Pheonix pages 162-248

Summary-
               Not much has happened in the last couple of pages. We have the continuation of the wars in lebanon. A time line shows that there has been war in four different years, 1978,1982,1996 and 2006. The author states that people living there have gotten so imminued to it, that they aren't as scared as they were before. After many years people began to stop believing. They were so sick and tired of the beating and the children getting hurt. Here is a story for you, a young boy around the age of eleven years old, was terribly hurt after a boy went off when he was playing with his friends and family. The little boy is now recovering but looking upon this incident he begins to cry. This really was a major hit for lebanon, children know what kind of bombs are out there, and they don't dare touch them. It has killed and injured so many people that it was just horrifing. They close off with talking bout how the Syrians took over lebanon for over a decade, between 1976 and 2006. This really closes on Lebanon as not being very depended. They have been struggling without Syria but they need to prove themselves. They fall for dictatorship, they are weak, as if they are little child trying to learn what is right and wrong, but instead they need to know who will help and who will distroy. Lebanon will not stop suffering until they are strong and powerful in their actions.

Quote-
           "The lebenese are constantly under attack." (llewellyn 165).

Summary-
            This book really opened me onto why my family and other families have really come to America. It shows me that they want a better life for their children. They don't want us to live with terror and fear, every step we take. My parents have gone through the civil war in the 70s but doesn't want their children to experience it. Lebanon is such a beautiful place, but very politicaly unstable, and until they get their act together and stop being very gentle with the situation, they will not live in peace until they fight for their rights. There are so many good qualities to the lebanese people; they are nice, friendly people that just want to hold a conversation with random strangers. They like to make friends and hold parties and hang with their family. Everyone and I mean everyone knows each other in every single town you go to. This book really opened my eyes to how the situation in Lebanon with the Israeli's and the Syrians in the country have damaged the peoples spirit to move on.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Spirit of the Pheonix pg 140-163

Summary- Syrians have ruled lebanon for the seventh and eighth century. For more then 800 years The crusaders, Syrians, Ottamans and Mamlucks have been trying to have Lebanon under their control. Also another famous man was Sleiman Franjieh. He has family descendents from a very long time ago. He was president in the election of 1970. He tried to fight the Syrina troops out of Lebanon. They considered him more 'braun then brain'. His family are known as traders who became wealthy. There us a whole history behind his grandfather and father. Surprisingly he was a Maronite, so it seems that they have been accepted into the land. Then in March 1978the Israelis invaded lebanon and took the southern borders into their control. Then in 1975 Lebanon went through another devistating accident. Where on April 13, 27 passengers where killed on a bus. This began the civil war of Lebanon. It was said that passengers were gunned down and killed one by one by Israli's Today this bus still stands to show the pain that the people went through. This bus was full of Palestians with children in it too. Every passenger was killed, no one left to live. Then back to the 1800s where lebanon wanted to declare independece for their country having great Pride and nationalism.

Quote - "The lebanese of the south were suddenly cut off frm their natural hinderland...." (llewellyn 161).

Reaction-   This quote makes the reader feel sorry for Lebanon because everything that is theres is being taken away and they are just standing there thinking that not fighting will have them stop. In my opinion they will never stop untill we show them that we are just as powerful as they are. Until they do that every country that wants to control us will have a chance to. War will keep on happeneding until we stand up for our rights.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Spirit of the Phoenix:Beiut and the Story of Lebanon page 110-140

Summary- The country is still by means in its violence states. But the story moves on talking about how the maronites became. The Maronite church was founded in the sixteenth century. They followed the Saint Maroun, who lived in the northern area of Syria. It is said that the people who founded the church believed in divine and human natures. For a long time Maronites were not welcomed in Lebanon and not even considered arabs. It is also said that they even made the Language Lebenese, which is arabic, translated into latin script. They also were known as arabic speakers and teachers. They knew the language well. During the tenth century Maronites were running from attacks made by Syrians, which lead them to settle in Mount Lebanon. Maronites think that they are descendents from Anatolia, which is part of turkey. It took a long time for the Maronites and the Roman church to get along. They became a union in the late twelth centruy. This was important becasue the crusaders wre still in Syria trying to make it a Muslim territory both the Roman and Maronite don't want that to happen. In 1510, after having the Maronite patriach of Antioch be recongnised asa a 'special historical' church. Maronites had it bad they were pushed to live in isolated cold winters and trade with cation, not knowing who will attack them. It was a mixture of trust between the Maronites and Romans, even though they have been recongnised. One person that is mentioned throughout the book is Samir Geagea. He was imprisioned for eleven years because he was accused of not bowing down to the Syrain leader. He was a miltia leader who was facing pain and agony, for not praising the Syrian leader. He was considered brave and noble to lebanon to most people in the country.

Quote-" Islamic, the duplicity of the Arab states, their futile, quarrels and treachery against one another, their disasterous lack of unity against outsiders, the west, Israel."( lleyellyn 117).

Reaction- This quote says alot about the Islams, and how they want to control every bit of thing that is in their way. They want to control and be dictators, even if no one agrees with them. This is what causes many confilict in Lebanon they have been wanting Lebanon for quite some time but can't get it. This shows that Lebanon is strong, but not strong enough to fight back and keep them off forever.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Spirit of the Phoenix:Beiut and the Story of Lebanon page 53-110

Summary- 
         A Memeber of Parliament, was assasined in 2007 on Valentines day. Rafiq Hariri was near the St George Hotel, and aparently under his car someone, planted a car bomb, and it exploded killing him instantly and also injured his closest friends and killed more then 17 people. This explosion, scared the Lebanese fearing a war will begin. Mnay began to feel that Lebanon wasn't going to be safe, and it really made them feel weary. The author then jumps back to the 1970s, and explains that Syrains were still fightig with the Israelis and that many Lebeses had no more hope. Before the civil war, they used to have alot of enthusiasm trying to be optomistic about things persuading themselves and others that things will get better. But as a matter of fact things got worse and people lost hope and began to be pesimestic. Then we have this man, Imam Musa Sadr, who goes to the Muslim side of Lebanon and begins to give hope to those there. He then is worshipped by many Muslims and to honor him, they mad the Amal flag, which is translated into Hope Flag. Many began to feel empowered because of him. By the end of the 1970s and begining of the 1980s, Americans began to support Lebanon. But bad things came to a result. The first attack by Islamists to the American marines who were stationed in Lebanon to help "supervise" the attacks of the Islams. What happened was there was a suicide bomber driving a can filled with 2000 pounds of explostion and her managed to blow himself up, and about 63 people. Seventeen of them were Americans and eight of them were working for CIA. But what was strange was that almost all of the weapons in the Israels were given by the Americans.

Quote-
       "On the night of the 16th the Israelis fired flares into the air... "( Llewellyn 101).

Reaction-
          This quote tells us that the Israelis woundn't leave us alone. Determined to conquer our land. What really upsets me is that this is my country and there is nothing that anyone can do, to stop these people. I feel that the Israelis should stop, and that the Lebanese army should fight against them, but they really refuse. It is really sad to see that we divide our country into half were out side the Christians is fighting against the other side, which is Muslim. It really doesn't make any sense to me why they want to controll, our land. As if it wasn't enough the Syrians also want to fight for our land. This war seems like it will never end. Year after year there is fear between these people that something will happen, and start another big war.

Spirit of the Phoenix:Beiut and the Story of Lebanon page 1-52

Summary-
             That book starts of with talking about the 12th president  to be of Lebanon, Michel Suleiman. Talking about the back round of president of Lebanon, ad how ten presidents of Lebanon, have served their fullest terms. There were interesting years in, terms of Lebanon where they didn't have a president for a year, and so then  the Member of Parliaments take the place of the president. Michel Suleiman, was president in 2008 , is a commander in the blue army. Many people respect him. He is a 'Maronite Christian', which has been very good for this country since most of the problems in Lebanon are because the Muslims want to take over the land. There have been weary situation for presidency especially in the 1900s, where in n1976 they rushed a president to be elected, due to the president elected in 190, Franjieh, was doing nothing to preseve Lebanon. Lebanon was under alot of pressure and the National Assembly felt that it was, a time for a stronger president. Lebanon was going under alot of government reconstruciton. Where the syrians have inspired the drafts of the legislation. Lebanon is such a beautiful country but there is too much violence there. Syrians and the Israelis have been fighting over this land for  long 20 and more years.While during the 1980s Israel, had controlled Lebanon, and faught back the Syrians. For a couple of years the Syrians and Israelis have been back and forth back and forth, controlling Lebanon. Fighting and destroying the beautiful soil. The beautiful language that the Lebenese speak is a mixture of French to English to Lebenese. They embrace the culture of both countries. The civil war that was taking place in the 1970s was all about religio, fought by the Christians and the muslims. Streets were destroyed homes were damages and many people were killed.

Quote-
          "  'When people said Beirut is bac to normal, ' I think 'Perhaps this is what they mean. Armed men everywhere and the machinery of the war clogging the streets'" ( Llewellyn 21).

Reaction-
           This quote shows that Lebanon is very dependent on the local army. It shows a sign of weakness the country couldn't be able to function without them on the streets keeping everyone in line, in  what they are suppose to do. Other things that really shocked me was how, politically unstable they are. Many presidents coming and going and many, assasined. This country is full with loving peole  but hated, enemies all around them, which makes it impossible for them to live in peace.