Endurance; Part 6-end of book

At the very beginning, Lansing described Shackleton as an "inmature" person. Inmature is not a quality I would like in a leader I was choosing to take me to Antarctica. But in the next couple of sentences, it sounds like Shackleton isn't really that inmature at all. "From time to time, Shackleton rolled cigarettes for both of them, and they spoke of many things. It was obvious that the burden of responsibility Shackleton had borne for sixteen months had nibbled away somewhat at his enormous self-confidence...He confided to Worsley that the decision to separate the party had been a desperately difficult one, and he abhorred having to make it. But somebody had to go for help, and this was not the sort of responsibility which could be delegated to another person"(220).

That doesn't sound like an inmature leader to me. That sounds like a person who cares about his crew and cares enough to risk his life to help them get back home. In my mind, Shackleton is an ideal leader. He has all the qualities I would want in a leader. The most important quality being the love for his crew.

In the end, they make it. That's an understatement, but they did it. Its kind of like climbing a mountain, and being so tired because of the climb, can't even enjoy making it there. "They had accomplished the impossible, but at a staggering price" (256).

I feel like the last 2 parts just acted as a CONCLUSION to the novel. Obviously it is a conclusion to the book, but it's also a conclusion to a lesson. Lansing didn't just write this book about the boat Endurance, he wrote it about the word "endurance" in general. What they did was incredible. It really was. With their backs against the wall, Shackleton and his crew responded. Desperate times cause for desperate measures. Maybe that's what made Shackleton a good leader. He was good under pressure.

Endurance; Part 5; all chapters

"Many of the men half-stumbled about aimlessly, scuffling their feet in the pebbles, or bending down to pick up a handful of rocks; some even dropped full length to the ground to feel its sublime solidity beneath them. For a time a few men simply sat down, shivering uncontrollably and mumbling gibberish to themselves" (178).

That quote is pretty self explanatory. Its comparable to having a really long car ride to a vacation spot, and the minute you get out, you're like yes, I'm finally here no more having to listen to my sister anymore. Except for, it was 497 days and their lives were on the line, and their vacation spot was just a piece of land, solid ground.

The journal entries during chapter 2 reveal alot about the morale and the plan. Shackleton writes to his crew about the possibility of him dying. A TRAGEDY was what I thought was going to happen and the beginning of this book. But now, the theme is living in danger hoping for the best, but expecting the worst.

Endurance;Part 4: 4 and 5

A sunrise is a pretty common thing. So common that it happens everyday. (that was a joke. Its funny how common things can spark new interests and give inspiration everyday. "It was more than just a sunrise. It seemed to flood into their souls, rekindling the life within them. They watched the growing light quenching the wild, dark misery of the night that now, at last, was over" (164).

There's always a light at the end of the tunnel. And if there's not, you're in deep trouble. Shackleton and his crew were not on land for almost 500 days. PUN is the word that comes to mind. I think its a really rare case of a PUN. The boat's name is Endurance, and it takes all of Shackleton's and all of his crew's endurance to try to make it to the end of the tunnel. In this case, the end of the tunnel is staying alive.

Endurance; Part 4: Chapter 1-3

You know the saying, "it's like riding a bike" well when they got back into the boat after being on ice for so long, it was like riding a bike. "The sound of their voices chanting, 'stroke...stroke...stroke...' mingled with the cries of the birds overhead and the surge of the swell through the pack" (141). Their spirits were lifted and ready for the challenge of returning home. It was a second wind of sorts. This piece here FORESHADOWS something good to come for the group.

"They were in the boats...actually in the boats, and that was all that mattered. They thought neither of Patience Camp nor of an hour hence. There was only the present, and that meant row...get away...escape" (141). There was now a goal. When there was no hope, no way out, getting in the boat was like a way out. It changed the mood of the novel.

Endurance; Part 3: Chapters 4-6

"To make matters worse, the problem of food-especially blubber for cooking-was again approaching the critical point. It was three weeks since they had killed a seal, and the meager store of blubber from the Adelies was almost gone. Their stock of provisions from the ship was also nearly exhausted" (121). So the the issue of hunger that had been hanging over the crew's head, is now an even bigger problem. What were they going to do if they ran out of food? They are in the middle of Antarctica. There are no McDonalds nor are there little grocery stores. They are in some big time trouble.

In a sense, the ANTAGONIST in this novel is nature. The cruel reality of the book is that nature does not have feelings. Nature does not care if you have struggled, fought, and have given everything to stay alive. And with the food shortage, it is making the crew understand this.

Endurance; Part 3: Chapters 1-3

Part 3 begins with the crew idle and with nothing to do, besides think, and they had already done way too much of that. With all of the idleness and thinking, it finally hit them that this was a dangerous and difficult task. "Many of them, it seemed,finally grasped for the first time just how desperate things were"(100). To put it in perspective, it's like having a tragedy in your life. Like the news of Katie Lynch passing, the news that you hear and you just break down in tears, but it doesn't really actually hit you, until you see her family members later on. That was the situation with the crew, seeing how this could actually be the end of their life.

The MOOD of the author gets more optimistic in the middle of chapter 1. "But on January 1, it seemed that the New Year might have brought with it a change of luck" (102). So here I believe this is the turning point. I think this is where the novel takes a turn for the better.

Endurance; Part 2: Chapters 6

“The final loss of the Endurance was a shock in that it severed what had seemed their last tie with civilization" (84). This was the end. The ship had sunk and with it all of the memories and hopes of returning home. The ship sinking was a SYMBOL to the crew of their hopes and all of their positive thoughts and energy went into the icy waters with the ship.

What to do, what to do. Here they (the crew) are stranded in Antarctica with limited food, limited shelter, its frigid out and now their ship sinks. If i were to put myself in that situation, I would be saying my good byes, tieing up loose ends, thanking God, and that would be the end of me. I couldn't be able to take it after 5 months. Check please.

Endurance; Part 2; Chapters 4 and 5

Chapter 4 begins with Lansing wanting the reader to know of the SETTING of the next couple of chapters to come. The crew members on in camp on the ice were in tents with the basic of basic materials. "The line of palegreen tents seemed now almost as familiar as the ship had been. Two of the tents were the conventional sort, with a bamboo pole in the center. The others-the 'hoop' tents designed by Marston for the expedition-operated on the same principle as the sunshade on a baby carriage, and they could be set up or struck in a matter of seconds. Their ability to weather storms, however, was not equal to that of the center-pole variety."

They were struggling to fight the cold. Shackleton and the crewmembers made many entries into their diaries. Most of the entries were depressing and pessimistic, but despite that, the morale of the entire camp was high, like they didn't have a choice.

Endurance; Part 2: Chapters 1-3

The beginning of Part 2 is like this; Shackleton does not sleep and keeps watch over his crew and camp while others try to get some sleep in frigid weather. As Shackleton is keeping watch he begins to hear and see a crack in the boat. "About 1 A.M., as Shackleton walked back and forth, there was a jolt; then a thin ribbonlike crack snaked across the floe among the tents."

Shackleton scrurried from tent to tent to inform his crew of the happening. They had to get up slow. They were so cold they couldn't move. As the chapters continue, there is a snow storm that covers the continent and gives the crew even more hopelessness. In a THEME of NATURALISM, Man vs. Nature is a common theme. It is a theme where man is very miniscule in the eyes of nature. "Though he (Frank Hurley) was virtually fearless in the physical sense, he suffered an almost pathological dread of losing control of the stiuation.

Endurance; Part 1: Chapters 7 and 8

Chapter 7 begins with confidence dwindling to being unsure. To the crewmembers surprise, the ship was more sturdy then previously expected. "She is stronger than we thought, and providing we don't get much heavier pressure...we should pull through all right" (52). But who said there wasn't going to be more pressure? It would be comparable to me saying that I can hit a 16 foot jumpshot, but when pressure is added in the game, coach doesn't know if I could handle it. But even with the uncertainity, the crew kept working.

The DICTION in these two chapters sends mixed signals to the reader. It makes me think that the hard parts are over and the rest is a fairy tale into which all the crewmembers survive and live happily ever after. But then, in the beginning of Chapter 8, the pressure arrives. This is a struggle for the seamen. They do everything they can to survive and it works. They were working completely in the dark and cold. It probably the worst thing they had ever had to do. Part 2 ought to be interesting!

Endurance; Part 1: Chapters 4-6

Everyone on the boat was doing their best to survive. They were trying and most of all they were still hoping. They tried to receive signal on their battery powered radio for the first time. "They attached an extra 180 feet of wire to the antenna, and soldered all the joints to improve the connections"(31). Everyone keeps their attitudes up because in all honesty that was their best shot at surviving. None of them had done this before.

As the chapter continues, the seamen become more and more anxious. They know they only have limited time before the end of the Antarctic summer. Unlike in Indiana where we have day and night everyday, the Antarctic summer is different. Just about all 24 hours of the day are sunlight in the summer and vice versa in the winter. Well, the TONE becomes a little bit more panicky. Now there is a rush- like knowing there is summer work to do at the end of the summer and waiting until the last possible moment to do those summer work blogs-kind of rush.

Endurance; Part 1: Chapters 1-3

"Cynics might justifiably contend that Shackleton's fundamental purpose in undertaking the expedition was simply the greater glory of Ernest Shackleton-and the financial rewards that would accrue to the leader of a successful expedition of this scope. Beyond all doubt, these motives loomed large in Shackleton's mind. He was keenly aware of social position and the important part that money played in it. In fact, the abiding (and unrealistic) dream of his life-at least superficially-was to achieve a status of economic well-being that would last a lifetime. He enjoyed fancying himself as a country gentleman, divorced from the workaday world, with the leisure and wealth to do as he pleased" (12).

Hypothetically speaking, if I were to receive a piece of paper with this quote on it, I would think that the person being described was nieve and not a smart person. That is the shortcut. He wanted to become rich and famous so he did not have to work for money. He wanted to become rich and famous by risking his life and all of his crew members for his wealth, fame, and fortune. Again hypothetically speaking, after reading this quote, you were to tell me that this would be the captain of a ship to Antarctica, there would be absolutely no way I would volunteer to become a crew member. This person is greedy.IRONICALLY, this was not the case. "When Shackleton announced his plans he was deluged by more than five thousand applications from persons (including 3 girls) who asked to go along" (15).

This person is Ernest Shackleton. He is the captain of the boat Endurance, for which the book is titled. The story begins as an escapade to Antarctica goes horribly wrong when the boat becomes stuck in ice. The story continues to describe the horror and the even bigger adventure in the fight to stay alive.