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.
No comments:
Post a Comment