Endurance Part I Chapters 5-8



Endurance sinking



Most people stranded in the middle of the freezing Antarctic would quickly become increasingly depressed. However, this was untrue for the men aboard Endurance. The crew refused to let the bad situation divide them. To the contrary, it seemed to bring all the men closer together. I found this almost unbelieveable, that all these men could be in such depressing and tight living conditions and manage to keep from bickering and being pessimistic. However, Shackleton and his crew were able to keep moral up. The men sang, played cards, and even put on shows to keep the insanity from settling in. The crew had great hope that the coming warm weather would release the ship from its icy prison. As the attacks of pressure began, the ship outlasted more then the crew ever thought she would. With each passing attack, the crew began feeling confident that the ship could uphold any pressure. As any good coach or leader will tell you, the biggest downfall to a team can be being too confident. Fearing his men would become too confident, Shackleton told the men a parable involving an arrogant mouse, in order to make his point of the dangers of getting too comfortable.

 

Shackleton was correct, as the ship began to bow to the pressure in late October.

 

"Still they pumped. But at five o'clock they knew it was time to give up. She was done, and nobody needed to tell them. "

 

This quote reflects the desperation of all the men as they tried to keep their home from going under. The exhausted men refused to give up and desperately tried for hours to keep the water from gaining. But as it got later, the weary men were forced to accept the reality of the situation. They would now have to live without their ship. This must have been a horrible time in the minds of the crew. The uncertainty of the future, mixed with the freezing temperatures, exhaustion, and the grief of losing their home would be hard for many to cope with.

 

I know I, along with many of my classmates, am starting to seriously consider my future and college choices. Just the thought of having to leave home and strike out on my own already sends a shiver of fear through me. I can only imagine the fear the crew of Endurance felt as they would have to leave their home and fend for themselves in the icy Antarctic.