Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Literary Scaffolding: Heroes and Legends


Professor Thomas A. Shippey
from The Great Courses

This is a series of 24 lectures, each about thirty minutes, that covers nearly all of Western literature in a quest for heroes that have stood the test of time. Nearly all of the characters were familiar to me already, at least nominally. I think the professor had to reach a little to include a few women as they didn't seem quite as "influential" to me. In later lectures, Professor Shippey described the characters and their stories as part of the basic understanding of our lives. For example, it's almost impossible to write a mystery story without incorporating some aspect of Sherlock Holmes because he has become the quintessential investigator for the modern mind.

The very first lecture is on Frodo Baggins and how a hobbit's type of understated heroism was a direct outcome of Tolkien's experiences in World War I, celebrating a kind of hero who does what is right even when alone or hidden.

I was also particularly interested in the lecture on Winston Smith from 1984 who is a kind of hero-opposite. I have read 1984 a few times, but I'm not sure I ever connected the story to the post-World War II world in which it was written.

Overall, this was a fascinating series of lectures and a convenient way to cover a great swatch of literature history. It brings together characters my children are encountering over the years in their education and prompted me to contemplate connections between them. I didn't agree with all of his conclusions. I heard other ideas on Cressida, for example, in a lecture series on Shakespeare, that I found more persuasive.

Though the lectures are in a series and build on each other a little over the course, it would be possible to listen to just one or more of the lectures. In fact, my husband happened to be preparing for a discussion on Dracula for one of his classes and we listened to that chapter together just for fun even though he hadn't listened to any of the others.

Here's a list of the heroes (with asterisks for those that are appropriate only for mature listeners):

  1. Frodo Baggins
  2. Odysseus
  3. Aeneas
  4. Guinevere *
  5. The Wife of Bath * (very mature)
  6. Cressida *
  7. Beowulf
  8. Thor
  9. Robin Hood
  10. Don Quixote
  11. Robinson Crusoe
  12. Elizabeth Bennet
  13. Natty Bumppo and Woodrow Call
  14. Uncle Tom
  15. Huckleberry Finn
  16. Sherlock Holmes
  17. Dracula *
  18. Mowgli
  19. Celie *
  20. Winston Smith
  21. James Bond
  22. Fairy-Tale Heroines
  23. Lisbeth Salander *
  24. Harry Potter
There's a PDF available to download with the purchase of the audiobook with notes from every chapter.  I've marked above the lectures I remember being particularly suited for mature listeners only, but it would be a good idea to at least preview the notes before listening with teens or younger listeners as many of these stories include themes of sexuality and violence. I don't intend to listen to any of them with my children but I found them interesting for my own education and enjoyment.

Monday, March 26, 2018

The Natural World in Daily Life: All Creatures Great and Small


by James Herriot

This book is one of the suggested "nature reading" books for Mater Amabilis™ ™Level 4. These books are not for narration. I think a reading journal entry would be appropriate, but I didn't assign anything like that to First Son. Instead, he just read these books and appreciated them. All Creatures Great and Small is the book assigned for the third term.
[I] hadn't dreamed there was a place like the Dales. I hadn't thought it possible that I could spend all my days in a high, clean-blown land where the scent of grass or trees was never far away; and where even in the driving rain of winter I could snuff the air and find the freshness of growing things hidden somewhere in the cold clasp of the wind.
Herriot is the pen name of a real British veterinarian of who shaped his memories of 1930s rural Yorkshire into this and subsequent fictionalized collections almost like interwoven short stories. They are not novels in the strictest definitions but neither are they memoirs.

The children and I have read James Herriot's Treasury for Children, which is a masterpiece and a beautifully illustrated book. We've also listened to the audio version as well as James Herriot's Favorite Dog Stories which all the children enjoyed. This is the first time I've read one of his complete books. There are enough references to drinking, smoking, women and dating, and rougher language, that I wouldn't recommend this particular book for young children, but it's not inappropriate for a Level 4 student (eighth grade for us).

This book is a wonderful choice for nature reading because it demonstrates an appreciation for the natural world as an integral part of a young man's life as he lives his vocation as a vet. The natural world becomes a salve to comfort him when his job is uncomfortable and to lift his spirits when he struggles.
Through May and early June my world became softer and warmer. The cold wind dropped and the air, fresh as the sea, carried a faint breath of the thousands of wild flowers which speckled the pastures. At times it seemed unfair that I should be paid for my work; for driving out in the early morning with the fields glittering under the first pale sunshine and the wisps of mist still hanging on the high tops.
One day, Herriot underestimated how long his appointments would take and, after a series of frustrating farm visits, found himself eating his lunch while driving through the countryside.
But I had gone only a short way when reason asserted itself. This was no good. It was an excellent pie and I might as well enjoy it. I pulled off the unfenced road on to the grass, switched off the engine and opened the windows wide. The farm back there was like an island of activity in the quiet landscape and now that I was away from the noise and the stuffiness of the buildings the silence and the emptiness enveloped me like a soothing blanket. I leaned my head against the back of the seat and looked out at the checkered greens of the little fields along the flanks of the hills; thrusting upwards between their walls till they gave way to the jutting rocks and the harsh brown of the heather which flooded the wild country above.
I felt better when I drove away and didn't particularly mind when the farmer at the first inspection greeted me with a scowl.
There are plenty of disgusting descriptions which will particularly appeal to young men. Once, Herriot watched his boss, Siegfried, operate on a cow:
[T]hrough the incision shot a high-pressure jet of semi-liquid stomach contents--a greenish-brown, foul-smelling cascade which erupted from the depths of the cow as from an invisible pump.
The contents shot right onto Siegfried's face and then continued to pour forth.
Siegfried, still hanging grimly on, was the centre of it all, paddling about in a reeking swamp which came half way up his Wellington boots.
The operation was a success! But the drive home was nearly unbearable, even with their heads sticking out of the windows.

Encountering farmers of all types and kinds in the surrounding area, Herriot is able to tell stories of people of all backgrounds and dispositions. There are examples of heroic sacrifice for their animals, steady unrelenting hard work, and fears and victories. One elderly woman, devoted to her animals, confesses her sorrow her pets will not join her in heaven. Herriot disagrees and comforts her:
"If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans. You've nothing to worry about there."
Animals do not have souls, but there are good reasons to believe they will be with us in heaven. If we need our pets to be happy in eternal life, they will certainly be with us. At the resurrection, the whole world will be remade, including animals. There are opportunities for contemplating what kind of life will lead to happiness. One story compares the petty disdaining daughter of a rich man with a sweet loving daughter of a poor man.
But I kept coming back to the daughters; to the contempt in Julia Tavener's eyes when she looked at her father and the shining tenderness in Jennie Alton's.
The ending is perfectly lovely. Herriot marries a young woman in the midst of a busy season in the practice and they decide to spend their honeymoon on the job.
I looked over at Helen as she sat cross-legged on the rough stones, her notebook on her knee, pencil at the ready, and as she pushed back the shining dark hair from her forehead she caught my eye and smiled; and as I smiled back at her I became aware suddenly of the vast, swelling glory of the Dales around us, and of the Dales scent of clover and warm grass, more intoxicating than any wine. And it seemed that my first two years at Darrowby had been leading up to this moment; that the first big step of my life was being completed right here with Helen smiling at me and the memory, fresh in my mind, of my new plate hanging in front of Skeldale House. 
I don't imagine First Son will read this book and think, I want to be a country vet! But I hope this book helps shape the hopes and dreams and thoughts of how his vocation might unfold and how the natural world might become a part of his life in a way many people neglect.

I purchased this book used. All opinions are my own. Links to Amazon are affiliate links.

Friday, March 23, 2018

Cultivating Living Beauty: A Tree for Peter


by Kate Seredy

I found this on a blog post (unfortunately long forgotten) of Advent read-aloud books. Kate Seredy's writing is as beautiful and lyrical as always, even when describing the wretched conditions of small Peter, a squatter with his mother in an abandoned house in a garbage dump.
Then they were floating on the shining little waves, small Peter and his friend, with Pal between them. Peter's heart was bursting with the Sunday feeling. He had no words to go with the way he felt; all the words he knew seemed dull and gray. The Sunday feeling was bright as the sunshine and sharp as the little waves around the boat. It would not stay down but spread into Peter's cheeks, making them pink and hot; it crept into his eyes, making them shine like stars, and finally it burst out into a laughing sentence:
"The sun is dancing inside me, Mr. Peter!"
In the book, big Peter appears only to small Peter with gifts of time and beauty and life (a tree). Small Peter accepts these gifts and transforms them into renewed life for the entire community. It's sweet and touching, if a little simplistic in its description of people lifting themselves out of poverty. Even so, I think it will make a lovely read-aloud for us so it's on the list for Advent 2018.

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Serving Souls in a Prisoner of War Camp: A Shepherd in Combat Boots


by William L. Maher

Servant of God Emil Kapaun is a priest from our own state of Kansas who died in a prison camp during the Korean War. During his time as an army chaplain, he inspired the men in his care with his bravery, his kindness, his mechanical skills, and his love of God. His cause for canonization is being considered in Rome. I chose this biography of him for First Son to read for one of the twentieth-century saints and heroes as suggested by Mater Amabilis™ for ™Level 4. I hadn't read the whole book before we started, so First Son and I read it together.

The early chapters emphasize the difficult lives of the people of rural Kansas.
Winters were bitter and confining, the drabness broken every day by the freezing chores of caring for the farm animals. Spring brought threats of tornadoes, or thunderstorms which could wipe out emerging crops. The summers were brutally hot and severe winds often swept in from the western prairies, accompanying the droughts that the farmers feared so much.
The book also reveals the conditions of troops in Japan (living with Japanese girl friends, liquor plentiful, girls available) as well as later the difficult and distressing conditions in the camps. Sensitive readers may be upset by these things. First Son was fine.

Father Kapaun, while living in Japan before the Korean War, spoke often on a radio ministry.
The peace which God gives is a gift which exists even in suffering, in want, and even in time of war. People who try to promote peace and love among their fellow men are peacemakers in the true sense of the word. And the people who try to bring the peace of God to souls are peacemakers of a higher order.
That's from a broadcast on April 21, 1950, part of which you can find online on the Diocese of Wichita website.

There are reports of multiple times in Korean when shells and bombs fell near-by while Father Kapaun was saying mass. He did not pause his prayers or services even when they were missed by just hundreds of yards. Displaying similar bravery for the good of his men, he would sneak out and steal food for the prisoners while in the prison camp, explaining to many soldiers that in these circumstances, stealing was not immoral because the captors were unjustly starving the men. His practical skills and creativity in problem-solving also helped men survive in the camp. He crafted pots, repaired tires, and devised ways to provide clean water to sick men.

There are many powerful quotes from fellow prisoners about Father Kapaun and his example in the prison camp.
"It was his actual deeds that gave the prisoners such a tremendous impact as they watched him living by God's law. In a few words, Chaplain Kapaun practiced what he preached," said Lieutenant Ralph Nardella.
Also this one:
"When others were getting meaner the priest was only kinder," said another American soldier. "The longer we were in the valley, the rougher it got, and the rougher it got, the gentler Father Kapaun became."
Amazingly, Father Kapaun baptized some of the prisoners during his time in the camps. It's hard to imagine more desperate and humiliating circumstances, yet this priest was able to demonstrate the eternal love of God even in the midst of such horrors.

I think the most remarkable testimony comes from Marine Captain Gerald Fink, a man who arrived at the camp after Father Kapaun had died and therefore knew him only from the reports of others. Inspired by his example, he created a stunning crucifix of scraps with improvised tools.
If the meek shall inherit the earth, it will be because people like Father Kapaun willed it to them. I am a Jew, but that man will always live in my heart. He was a man among many who were not. I saw the biggest, huskiest and toughest men crack under the strain. Father Kapaun not only served Christians well but he served everyone else with equal goodness and kindness. Never thinking of himself, he was always doing something for others. He represented to me saintliness in its purest form and manliness in its rarest form. 
This book is simply written, much of it drawn directly from primary sources like eports from Father Kapaun to his bishop and interviews with men who knew Father Kapaun at home and in the prison camp. Maher has read and incorporated Kapaun's letters and diaries to give an incisive view into Kapaun's thoughts and feelings. It is an excellent early biography, though I do hope there will be another in the future that shapes these first impressions into a more beautifully crafted story of his life and witness.

For those interested, The Miracle of Father Kapaun shares more information about his time in the prison camp and the miracles that are being considered in his cause for sainthood.

This is an excellent biography of a twentieth-century man of God for any Level 4 student, but especially for a young man or a student in Kansas or near-by states. There is something especially powerful in seeing an example of such saintliness from a man who grew up in the same area. My children and I regularly visit the chapel where Father Kapaun was ordained and the school where the crucifix he inspired hangs.

I purchased this book used. Links to Amazon are affiliate links.

Monday, March 19, 2018

Eighth Grade History: The World Wars


by Paul Dowswell, Ruth Brocklehurst and Henry Brook
an Usborne book

Mater Amabilis™ gives some lesson plans for History in Level 4 (8th grade) in which a student studies national history for twelve weeks followed by four six-week terms chosen from six options. I picked this book for our twelve weeks on World War I and World War II because I already owned it. Mater Amabilis™ recommends Witness to History: World War I and Witness to History: World War II by Sean Connolly. My library didn't have a copy of either book, but I was able to request a copy of the World War II one from PaperBackSwap. I liked the aspect of the eyewitness accounts and used it in addition to the Usborne book.

You can see the lesson plans I developed for this book on my posts on World War I and World War II. I found they needed little alteration for First Son to complete them in roughly the 45 minute time period. I did combine a few readings in order to accommodate missed days and will probably alter them a bit more when we come around to these plans again for the other three in order to leave time for more thoughtful narrations, perhaps even a longer paper, or an exam.

I think I will also integrate our world war studies with The Century for Young People rather than touching on the wars in the first twelve weeks and then studying them in-depth in the second twelve weeks.

This Usborne book provides a thoughtful introduction to the world wars. The text is more fluid and connected than in many Usborne books which just have paragraphs here and there on the page around a general topic. Most topics here are covered in a two-page spread of mainly text with one or two photographs. Because the book is written from a British perspective, it covers the wars in an intimate and personal way throughout. It's respectful of the contribution of the United States in both wars without being overly patriotic. The only topic I added for the American angle was Japanese internment camps.

The breadth of The World Wars is excellent, covering action on every front, in the air, on the sea, and on land. They include sections on what life was like in Britain and in Germany as well. It does not neglect the Holocaust or other atrocities and is open about the British bombing of German cities in addition to the Blitz. As with many Usborne books, there are internet links for many of the topics. We didn't use those. I think our sketchy rural internet service struggled too much to connect with servers in England where most of the sites seemed to be hosted. I had gone through ahead of time to select a few subjects (often following the suggestions of Mater Amabilis™) and saved them on a Google sheet for First Son. Those are included in the lesson plans I have linked above.

There was plenty of time to explore a few topics in depth after reading the pages in the Usborne book as an introduction. It's probably a little light to use in eighth grade without supplementing, but I think directing my son to primary sources like the speeches and additional articles allowed us to personalize the study a little. For example, I included some chapters from a book by Eisenhower, who was born and raised in Kansas.

My father, who devours history books, noticed this book on my shelf and read the whole thing over a few days. He thought it provided a great amount of information in an approachable format. He even learned a few things.

The book is well published. First Son hauled it around for twelve weeks and he's none too careful of books, often leaving them lying around, but it's held up well with an intact binding. The pages are thick and glossy, too.

I purchased this book from a friend who sells Usborne books, but you can find it on Amazon (affiliate link above). You can also find it at RC History (affiliate link), where it's recommended for Volume 4. That's where I learned about the book, though I later decided not to teach twentieth century history at all to the kids until they were in eighth grade and then used the Level 4 plans instead.

Friday, March 16, 2018

Nature Study as a Life: The Girl Who Drew Butterflies


by Joyce Sidman

I happened upon this book in a library search while searching for something else. Maria Sibylla Merian is not entirely unknown to me as we've read Summer Birds: The Butterflies of Maria Merian. This book, though, is a much more developed biography which incorporates aspects of the culture, industry, and geography of the European world during her lifetime in order to understand her better. It's a biography, but one so bursting with other kinds of information it could fit just about anywhere in a homeschool curriculum (science, nature study, art, poetry, photography, history, and geography, to name a few subjects).

The story of Maria Merian's life is told in twelve chapters, each named after a phase in a caterpillar and butterfly's life cycle, beginning and ending with Egg. They parallel the periods of growth and change experienced by Merian. Throughout the book are maps, photographs, reproductions of engravings and paintings (many by Merian) and quotes from Merian's writings. While it's possible her art was not entirely responsible for changes occurring in scientific studies at the time, Merian's life was remarkable. At a time and in a culture where women were excluded from professional lives by law, she persevered in artistic and business pursuits.

Her personal life was not ideal. She leaves her husband, eventually seeking sanctuary from him in a religious community until he abandons his attempt to convince her to return home with him. He then divorces her and leaves her to financially support their daughters. Undaunted, she not only succeeds in supporting them, but travels to South America to study insects and create a stunning book of her observations.
But her extraordinary skills set her apart. She had the curiosity of a true scientist, the patience it took to raise insects, and the superb artistic skill necessary to share her observations. In short, she was quietly engaged in some of the finest insect work of her time.
This lovely book is going on our read-aloud schedule for next year, when Second Son will be in second grade, the year I order caterpillars we can watch turn into butterflies. I think much of it will go over his head (he'll be eight) but he'll understand enough, and the others will learn a great deal. I hope, too, they feel a little more inspired when we're on our nature walks and pulling out the nature journals.

There is another book on Merian, published just a week earlier. Our library doesn't have a copy and it has fewer pages (according to Amazon), but it might also be interesting: Maria Sibylla Merian: Artist, Scientist, Adventurer.

I checked this book out from the library to read it and received nothing for this review, but the links above are affiliate links to Amazon.

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

February 2018 Book Reports

The Chain Reaction: Pioneers of Nuclear Science by Karen Fox - link to my post (purchased used copy)

A Child's Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas - link to my post (library copy)

The White Stag by Kate Seredy - I checked this book out of the library after reading The Good Master and wondering if I should purchase more by Seredy for our home library. This is a beautifully written mythologized story of Attila the Hun as told to the people he led to the promised land. I enjoyed it and would be happy for the kids to read it from the library, but I didn't feel the need to procure our own copy. (library copy)

To Light a Fire on the Earth by Robert Barron with John L. Allen Jr. - link to my post (Blogging for Books review copy)

The Complete Ramona books by Beverly Cleary - link to my post (purchased on Audible)

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte -  I thought I had read this when I was in high school, but if so I'd forgotten most of it. I was quite horrified by Heathcliff's actions in the book, particularly against his niece. It certainly was an audiobook that kept me interested, almost looking forward to my chores when I could listen, but I'm not sure I want to read or listen to it again. (purchased on Audible)

The Story of Inventions by Michael J. McHugh and Frank P. Bachman  - link to my post (purchased used, maybe at a book sale?)

Sword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski -  This is another fantasy novel by a Polish author. Lots of violence, mature relations, magic, and quandaries about what is right and moral in an different world. Not for everyone, but I enjoyed it for a bit of light reading. (library copy)

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell  - link to my post (purchased used copy, though Kansas Dad first listened to the audiobook from the library)

Anne of Windy Poplars by L.M. Montgomery - I was a little sad when I started this book because I thought to myself, "Anne should be in medical school with Gilbert instead of teaching at some tiny little school in a tiny little town." That situation, of course, is consistent with the time when Anne lived and, today, a young woman who does go to medical school can be just as lovely as Anne and also be an excellent doctor. And there was the incident of twins who viciously attack a neighbor girl while Anne is babysitting them.Those kinds of considerations aside, I enjoyed this book in the Anne series tremendously. (the copy my dad bought me when I was oh-so-young)

A Town Like Alice by Nevile Shute - I read this book decades ago and thoroughly enjoyed listening to the audio version. I've never heard a Queensland accent, but the narrator's was far better than what I might have heard in my head. Jean Paget is an interesting heroine, who leads a group of hapless English women through the jungles of Malaya after the Japanese invasion (and whose horrible treatment at their hands seems quite gentle compared to what some women suffered after such an invasion). After the war, she learns of a vast inheritance and spends the rest of the book putting it to good use. It's odd that a woman with such obvious leadership skills and business acumen should refuse to try to learn anything, but other than that, she's quite a wonderful woman. Listening to the book made dinner prep downright enjoyable. (purchased on Audible)

Tremendous Trifles by G.K. Chesterton - link to my post (inadvertently purchased used abridged copy, read unabridged library copy)

Books in Progress (and date started)

The italic print: Links to Amazon are affiliate links. As an affiliate with Amazon, I receive a small commission if you follow one of my links, add something to your cart, and complete the purchase (in that order). Links to RC History and PaperBackSwap.comare also affiliate links to their respective stores. Other links (like those to Bethlehem Books) are not affiliate links.

These reports are my honest opinions.

Friday, March 2, 2018

Chesterton on Nothing and Everything: Tremendous Trifles


by G. K. Chesterton

This book was recommended as a good one for those new to Chesterton on the Mater Amabilis™ ™facebook page. It's a collection of essays Chesterton originally wrote for a newspaper and selected, for no identifiable reason, to publish as a group. There are lovely descriptions, grand-sounding declarations, and plenty of self-deprecating humor.


In "The Red Angel," Chesterton waxes eloquently on the importance of fairy tales.
Fairy tales, then, are not responsible for producing in children fear, or any of the shapes of fear; fairy tales do not give the child the idea of the evil or the ugly; that is in the child already, because it is in the world already. Fairy tales do not give a child his first idea of bogey. What fairy tales give the child is his first clear idea of the possible defeat of the bogey. The baby has known the dragon intimately ever since he had an imagination. What the fairy tale provides for him is a St. George to kill the dragon.
Exactly what the fairy tale does is this: it accustoms him for a series of clear pictures to the idea that these limitless terrors had a limit, that these shapeless enemies have enemies, that these strong enemies of man have enemies in the knights of God, that there is something in the universe more mystical than darkness, and strong than strong fear. 
An afternoon in the country in "Some Policemen and a Moral" leads Chesterton to ponder the moral significance of unequal prosecution. While walking through a wood, he is suddenly seized with an impish desire to throw a knife a the trees. A few policeman respond and inform him it's illegal to do so. Instead of fining him, however, they send him on his way when they learn he's staying with a local lord. Chesterton considers what becomes of a society that lets the rich and powerful (and their friends) off when they do something wrong.
The power of wealth, and that power at its vilest, is increasing in the modern world. A very good and just people, without this temptation, might not need, perhaps, to make clear rules and systems to guard themselves against the power of our great financiers. But that is because a very just people would have shot them long ago, from mere native good feeling.
He considers voting in "A Glimpse of My Country:"
A man ought to vote with the whole of himself as he worships or gets married. A man ought to vote with his head and heart, his soul and stomach, his eye for faces and his ear for music; also (when sufficiently provoked) with his hands and feet. If he has ever seen a fine sunset, the crimson colour of it should creep into his vote. If he has ever heard splendid songs, they should be in his ears when he makes the mystical cross.
In "The Ballade of a Strange Town," Chesterton and a friend are traveling. After an impulsive jaunt on a train, they discover they've caught the wrong train to get back and are instead somewhere else entirely. After racing around frantically to right their mistake (all of which Chesterton enjoys immensely), he says:
"That is what makes life at once so splendid and so strange. We are in the wrong world. When I thought that was the right town, it bored me; when I knew it was wrong, I was happy. So the false optimism, the modern happiness, tires us because it tells us we fit into this world. The true happiness is that we don't fit. We come from somewhere else. We have lost our way." 
I tried to buy a copy of this book. I enjoyed the first handful of essays and wanted to take my time with the rest. (Everyone knows three months' loan from the library is insufficient.) After much searching, I finally decided on the edition of Tremendous Trifles from the On series and picked up a used copy. I was shocked to realize after looking through it for the quotations I wanted to copy into my commonplace book that it only contains 21 of the 39 essays. As it says in the introduction:
Yet in a pretty devastating review, The Times Literary Supplement said that while some of the individual essays 'are often as provocative as they are charming,' their parts 'might be transposed almost indefinitely without detection.' That there is some truth in this charge means we need not be unduly concerned that this volume contains twenty-one essays from the original selection of thirty-nine.
And that's all it says, as if all the essays are interchangeable. I was quite concerned! An editor may want to make an argument for abridging the selection of essays, but it seems a little presumptuous to declare it isn't of any consequence at all. I read the unabridged version, even if it did mean returning it to the library after three months and requesting it again to finish it.