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.

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.

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.