Endurance Part II: Ch. 1-3

     In Part 2 of the Endurance, the crew have set up a small campsite and try to get some sleep before making the 346 mile trek to the island where provisions are being held. Everyone is focused on the task at hand and determined to survive, which leaves no room for pessimism. The men make occasional trips back to their ship that is now just a pile of broken wood to try and salvage what they can, but they don't seem discouraged by the loss of the Endurance. All of the men are also required to leave a majority of their personal items behind: all of their pictures, books, and other things of value to them had to be thrown into the snow so they would not weigh down the sledges with unnecessary objects.

"Speaking with the utmost conviction, Shackleton pointed out that no article was of any value when weighed against their ultimate survival...After he had spoken, he reached under his parka and took out a gold cigarette case and several gold sovereigns and threw them into the snow at his feet...Then he laid the Bible in the snow and walked away."

     To me, that would have been the hardest part. I could not imagine leaving everything behind, even if it meant the difference between surviving and not. This display by Shackleton could be viewed as a hyperbole, as he did this in an exaggerated manner to encourage the rest of the crew to follow his lead.

     The attitude of the crew during this time fits what this picture is saying. Despite all the hardships they have faced, and even though they realize there will be more as they continue their journey, everyone brushes it off as an adventure and continues to hope for the best. ----------------------------->

    

     The next day the crew started out pulling all of their supplies and two of the three lifeboats with them over jagged, slushy snow. In three hours they had only made it one mile and had to make camp there that night. They travelled the same distance the next day before Shackleton made the decision that they would stay on that particular floe until they floated nearer to their destination. They made multiple trips back to the ship and returned with personal items and enough food to last them two more months. Shackleton reasoned that he would know by January what should be done next, and it all depended on the way the ice floe travelled. No one chose to think about those possibilities though and instead did their best to keep up their spirits.

     Just like in any group of people, there were a couple who made the bad conditions even worse with their attitudes and general lack of commitment to their jobs. However, Shackleton was able to keep order and even designed sleeping arrangements to prevent fights; all of this proves to me that Shackleton was a fantastic leader and just the right man to attempt such a task. He planned a route of escape that would hopefully lead to rescue. Unfortunetely, that night everyone watched as the Endurance finally gae in and sank into her icy grave.