Endurance: Part 1, Chapters 1-4



The Endurance

                                                   

In the first few chapters of the novel Endurance, the author, Alfred Lansing, describes how the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition came to an end and a fight for survival began. Throughout the account that illustrates the destruction of the ship Endurance, I noticed many similarities between this disaster and the downfall of another famous ship, the RMS Titanic. In the novel Endurance, Lansing explains that the ship was being crushed by the ice to the point where it would break in half, and the RMS Titanic was also destroyed by ice, where it also broke in half. Both expeditions were attempting to accomplish something that had never before been achieved, and in the end, both dreams were destroyed by unpredicted circumstances. There is a significant difference between the leaders involved in each expedition, however. In the case of the Endurance, Shackleton’s character allowed him and his crew to overcome the challenges they encountered, while the RMS Titanic’s leaders were never able to come to grips with the fate that they faced, resulting in many deaths.

One of the literary terms that is utilized in this novel is the term dilemma. Sir Ernest Shackleton, the leader of the expedition, was in fact facing a dilemma and had a difficult decision to make.

“Then, on the very day that George V presented Shackleton with the Union Jack to carry on the expedition, Britain declared war on Germany. Shackleton’s position could hardly have been worse…He was just about to leave on an expedition he had dreamed about and worked toward for almost four years…At the same time, he felt very strongly about doing his part in the war,” (18).

This quote represents the literary term dilemma. Shackleton had been working towards his expedition for years, but he also wanted to help fight for his country. Both of these situations were important causes in his opinion. He had previously been part of the British Merchant Navy which aided the military in supply transportation, but he also had participated in two previous journeys to the Antarctic. In the end, the government told Shackleton to proceed with his expedition rather than stay behind to fight in the war, but the final decision still required much deliberation.