Death of the Endurance (4 to 6) Tone

"Away across the pack, the stern of the Endurance rose 20 feet into the air and hung there for a moment with her motionless propeller and her smashed rudder held aloft. Then slowly, silently she disappeared beneath the ice, leaving only a small gap of black, open water to mark where she had been."

As the Endurance sank, the men felt farther from their homes more than ever. Although was completely useless in the ice, it still held for a symbol of civilization. With the ship gone the men had to continue to hope and pray that the winds would help carry their floe towards land. Meanwhile, with the loss of their tie to civilization the men soon start following some of the morals they once held in order to survive, such as the gruesome slaughter of seals using pickaxes and knives. All of these incidents the author writes with a very serious and glum tone. Things are starting to become more and more desperate and the crew is finally starting to see that.

The killing of the seals reminds me of the western expansion of North America. Riding out into the unpredictable wilderness, the pioneers had to adapt and succumb to very shameful acts in order to survive, even cannibalism. These two incidents show how far a human being can go in order to survive.

Sacrifice (1 and 2)

"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."

As the Endurance is stuck being crushed by the gargantuan ice floes, the men continue on without her. For their successful survival, the men are asked to only carry their bare essentials to survive. Even expensive possessions of gold, as stated when Shackleton threw down his gold cigarette lighter. Even some of the young puppies are forced to be sacrificed for the overall survival of the ship mates. Macklin had taken care of one of the older puppies, Sirius, for quite some time and had much trouble having to kill young pup as it hopped around playfully right before the shooting.

Nevertheless, the men march on, pushing the 1 ton boats through the thick snow. Progress is so slow that Shackleton comes to a dilemma, either continue carrying the boats towards land or set up camp and see where the ice floe may lead them. Shackleton finally decides on setting up camp because the men are only averaging a little over a mile a day. When Macklin has to kill Sirius, it reminds me much of Ol' Yeller. At the end of Ol' Yeller, despite all the history the boy had had with his beloved yellow dog, he must kill the mutt because it is sick and there is nothing he can do about it. Macklin must have been having the same type of emotions go through him when he had to shoot the young pup who was so naive of what was about to happen.

The Ice Takes its Toll (7 and 8) Turning Point

"She's going boys," he said. "I think it's time to get off."

Despite the fierce retaliation of the Endurance, by the end of winter, the ice had finally gotten the best of her. It started with two strong attacks to the port-side of the ship. Neither attacks seemed to have much affect until a floe slide its way under the Endurance and tilted her to the left. However, this floe eventually cracked and the Endurance escaped until to be entrapped by three floes on all sides. The floes mercilessly put pressure on the ship. Soon water started flowing in. Shackleton found their efforts useless and called for the abandoning of the ship. This is a turning point of the book, because, now, not only are they entering a new phase of their journey, traveling across without a ship, but also their chances for succeeding have dropped drastically.

First Half of Winter (Chapter 5 and 6) Parabole

"It was remarkable that there were not more cases of friction among the men, especially after the Antarctic night set in. The gathering darkness and the unpredictable weather limited their activities to an ever-constricting area around the ship."

Despite the Endurance's great efforts, eventually because the lack of daylight, below-zero temperatures, and the sheets of ice entrapping her, the ship could no longer go on. Thus the men had to endure many weeks of what would drive some men mad. However, due to the impressive leadership of Shackleton and the many warm personalities of the crew members, spirits on the Endurance continued to soar. They passed time performing in self-produced plays and playing practical jokes on each other. Soon, as the daylight started to reappear, the men would have ice-hockey games outside the ship and race the sled dogs for fun. While stuck in the ice and dealing with the constant pressure that the ship endures, Shackleton tries to lighten the mood by telling the men a funny parabol about a mouse drinking ale. The parabol is fitting in light of the situation. It also adds some comedic value despite the troubled times.

Dodging the Ice (Chapter 3-4)

"The Endurance twisted and squirmed her way through the pack for nearly two weeks, but it was progress of a stop-and-go sort. Frequently she was barely able to push her way through, and sometimes she was stopped altogether, and had to heave until the ice loosened."

The trip from the South Georgia coast started off smooth but exponentially grew harder as the trip continued on. Entering the Weddell Sea, the Endurance began to come across much more ice floes. Due to the ices inability to flow out of the nearly land-locked gulf. The crew had to pick their routes carefully, in case none of the floes would potentially close up on them while they tried to maneuver through. As they went on passages seemed to appear less and less and so did the animals that provided them food. The use of onomatopoeia appears much in this section of the book while describing the animals of the Antarctic. Using the terms to describe the "Clark, Clark's" of the Adelies. These descriptions bring the reader more into the story and help paint the overall picture.

(Chapter 2) Motive

"From the sentimental point of view, it is the last great Polar journey that can be made. It will be a greater journey than the journey to the Pole and back, and I feel it is up to the British nation to accomplish this..."

This quote shows the strive and intensity which Shackleton possessed toward achieving his dream. While people thought that the last great journey of the poles had been made, Shackleton did not except that the barrier had been thoroughly  broken. For it is men like Shackleton, with such strong goals and desire, who continue to find ways to go beyond what others will pursue or even imagine. Also, in this chapter , Shackleton's motives are clearly expressed. Shackleton's every desire revolved around completing this voyage. He wished for the fame and respect of the global public. And also he desired the riches, not only for his social status, but so he could provide immensely for his wife, who came from a rich background. With such great motives, Shackleton would not even succumb to 18 feet thick floes of ice standing in his way.

Alfred Lansing, Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage, Chapter 1, Mood

"I do not think I have ever had such a horrible sickening sensation of fear as I had whilst in the hold of that breaking ship."

From this quote stated by Alexander Macklin, a physician who also happened to be the driver of a dog team, Alfred Lansing sets the stage of the novel. When Macklin boarded back on the ship to salvage some timber, he could hear the horrifying battle between the ships supports and the ice floe. At any point the ship could have caved in on him and Wild, filling this adventure story full of suspense. From this first chapter, mood is very prevalent. Within reading the first couple of pages, you are already sucked in, worried for what might happen next to the courageous adventurers. I could hardly contain myself while hearing Lansing's descriptions of the ships dying groans. This introduction excites the reader and keeps them turning the page, salivating over what might happen next.