Launching the Boats: Part 3, Chapters 4-6

part 3, chapter 6, page 137-138


The journey had just become incredibly rough. Their food supply was starting to twindle and tensions began to flair. The sight of land did raise their spirits a bit, and they all realized they needed to stick together even more now. Between the sadness of having to kill some of their dogs, famish, extreme cold, and loss of excitement of the journey, the men needed something to busy themselves and occupy their minds. The inevitable happened though. The ice beneath them that had served them as a home at "Patience Camp" had begun to crack underneath them. My quote for this section is, "Then they waited... torn between the overpowering desire to launch the boats reguardless of the risk, and the certain knowledge that once they did so, there could be no turning back. Small as it was, theirs was the only decent floe in sight. If they abandoned it, and the pack closed up before they reached another campsite, there would be no escape." This quote shows how the men's lives were on the line minute by minute. If they stayed on the ice, there might not be another opening and the ice they were on could crack at any moment; consequently, if they left this floe, the ice around them could close in at any moment.


It seemed to be a lose-lose situation; there wasn't a clear cut answer just staring them in the face. Just like on Shackleton's voyage, choices in life are never easy. God doesn't just hand people books with all the right answers in them. In the movie "Titanic", Rose decides to take a chance and trust Jack with all her heart. Although she could have just gotten in a boat with her mother and would have easily survived, she took the chance in love with Jack knowing in her heart, her life would ultimately be happier. It was a hard choice between life and love, but Rose's decision, although made hastily and ending in the death of Jack, made her life more fulfilling. It was a change worth taking.


My literary term is onomatopoeia. (a word formed from the imidation of natural sounds)


part 3, chapter 6, page 137
"Crack!
Again the floe has split in two..."

Just Waiting: Part 3, Chapters 1-3

part 3, chapter 3, page 120


The crew had recently just moved from the pack ice right beside where Endurance had gone under at last. After naming that camp "Ocean Camp", the men decided to name this new place "Mark Time Camp" for they hoped they would be there only temporarily. Now all they could do was wait for the pack ice to open letting them out to the sea, if it ever did. Shackleton's main goal now was just to get out of there. They had to get food in the meantime which served as a way to distract themselves from the harsh realities. All this waiting took a toll on people. " Macklin, who had consistently struggled to remain hard-headedly pessimistic, found it impossible to hold out any longer. He let himself go on March 13, saying, 'I am absolutely obsessed with the idea of escaping...We have been over 4 months on the flor- atime of absolute and utter inutility to anyone. There is absolutely nothing to do but kill time as best as one may....One looks forward to meals, not for what one will get, but as definite breaks in the day. All around us we have day after day the same unbroken whiteness, unrelieved by anything at all. "

                                                         Ocean Camp

 This quote almost reminds me of the movie "Dear John" which was about how a young man in the army, John, falls in love with a young college girl, Savanna, on their breaks. When John finally goes away again, they write to each other as often as they can. However, half of the time they can only write every few months and then have to wait a few months to receive them. All of the waiting becomes monotonous. They kept going knowing that their final goal was to hear from their other half again. They could bear the waiting since their final goal was worth the wait.

My literary term is declarative sentence. (a sentence that makes a statement or declaration)

part 3, chapter 3, page 117

"Worst of all were the days of bad weather."

New Years: Part 2, Chapters 1-6

part 2, chapter 6, page 97


" Macklin noted: 'The last day of 1915...tomorrow 1916 begins: I wonder what it will bring forth for us. This time last year we prophesied that just now we would be well across the Continent.' "


At this point on the expedition, it had been around five months. This considerable amount of time had accumulated many high expectations amoung the crew members. This quote describes Dr. Alexander Macklin's attitude about the journey's progress. He had expected that the journey would be highly developed and almost completed their goal. A little bit of Macklin's doubt shows through in his journal entry here.


Dissappointment occurs almost everywhere. It usually occurs right after a plan does not go exactly as it was planned. Doubt is sure to follow after dissapointment.The members of Endurance were probably dissapointed that the journey was taking longer than it had been prophesized. Planning an event minute by minute is an extremely difficult challenge. We have to learn to let some scenes in our lives fall as they may. Those who rely soley on a strict structural lifestyle are often lost in this chaotic world. It is great to set goals and have aspirations. Those are necessary for a successful life. However, we must learn to overcome dissapointments in failed plans and to move forward.


My literary term is simile. (a comparison of two things using "like", "as", or other specifically comparative words.


part 2, chapter 5, page 85
" 'We both felt,' siad Greenstreet, 'like guilty schoolboys caught robbing an orchard, and immediately paddled for the bank and landed and went on with our seal hunt, finally meeting him as he returned to camp.' "

She's Gone: Part 1, Chapters 4-8

part 1, chapter 8, page 60


" She was done, and nobody needed to tell them........'She's going, boys,' he said, 'I think it's time to get off.' "
This quote marked the first primary turning point in the story. Shackleton and his crew had already tackled the sea for 3 straight months. Now was the start to the real adventure. Colliding with the ice which slowly destroyed their home ship Endurance shoved them onto the ice. The members of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition would now have to continue their journal by foot. At this point, there was no turning back.


Shackleton's words had deep meaning. In this quote, the boat symbolized a chapter in one's life. Just as the boat sank in Endurance, some parts of our lives "sink". When we make certain decisions in our lives, we can almost never return to where we had been. Moving on becomes an important step in the growing process of our lives. People must learn to accept the fact that although one door may close in their lives, another door will always open.


My literary term is turning point. (the point in a work in which a very significant change occurs)


turning point:  This quote significantly explains how the boat sinking is a crucial turning point in the story.

Shackleton's Incredible Voyage: Part 1, Chapters 1-3

part 1, chapter 3, page 22-23


My choice book is Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage. The introduction of this book starts out with the climax of the story; the ship sinking. However, after this, it goes back to describing how sir Enrnest Shackleton, the leader of this voyage, managed this entire ordeal and who he picked as fellow 27 (later 28) members of this incredible expedition. Of this, I thought that the quote that had effectiveness was, "They were on their way at last, really on their way, and Shackleton was immenmsly relieved. The long years of preparation were over... the begging, the hypocrisy, the finagling, all were finished. The simple act of sailing had carried him beyond the world of reversals, frustrations, and inanities. And in the space of a few short hours, life had been reduced from a highly complex existence, with a thousand petty problems, to one of the barest simplicity in which only one real tak remained- the achievement of the goal." To me, the quote emphasizes the extreme importance of Shackleton's goal, crossing the Antarctic continent. The voyage was his main priority. He had put all effort and funds into this trip. Shackleton and his crew were about to do what no other exploration group had done before in crossing Antarctica. With this achievement would come a great sense of accomplishment and pride and would gain respect and recognition.
This could be related to almost anything in our culture. When people set thier mind to something that they feel strongly about, they can go beyond many limits to achieve it. This could be a certain grade on a test or winning a certain sports championship. If it is an important goal then one would put all his effort into it.


My literary term is absolute (a word free from limitations or qualifications)


part 1, chapter 2, page 16
"Wild's loyalty to Shackleton was beyond question, and his quiet, somewhat unimaginative disposition was a perfect balance for Shackleton's often whimsical and occasionally explosive nature."