Endurance Part II

Quote- “Underlying the optimism and good spirits of the party was a deep-seated confidence that their situation was only temporary.”

Discussion- Not only does this quote display the continued optimism of the men in their precarious situation, I also believe it to almost be a non sequitur, because it seems that the crewmen have no logical reason to infer that they are going to be safe.  I feel like it is wonderful and beneficial for the crewmen to be positive and optimistic, for it helps with energy and morale, but they are stuck in a quite unfortunate situation with no clear or definite way of getting out.  The men are sleeping in tents on the snow and are even beginning to eat blubber for warmth.  Eventually, they succeed in rescuing a large amount of stores from the sinking ship, stores that could last them into the winter.  This is seen as a great accomplishment and lends itself to even more confidence among the men.  They are situated, as comfortable as possible, on a large ice floe waiting for a way to travel to land to obtain more stores.  It seems to me that the men’s fate completely relies on whether the ice floe they are currently camping one will drift or be blown close enough to their destination of land that they can make it the rest of the way themselves.  This dependence is evident in the joy the men display when a strong southerly gale causes a two-day blizzard.  Even as preparations are being made to get ready for Shakleton’s plan to travel, the men continue to be content with the schedule of camp life.  Only after they men run out of things to do do they become restless and ready for movement.  While all the crewmen are living in the moment and rarely think about the upcoming future, Shackleton remains distant, as the weight of the responsibility he carries causes him to appear aloof.  At the end of this section, the men are moving camp, and are far less optimistic.

Literary Terms: non sequitur- The crewmen seem to believe that the misery of their situation would soon be overcome, though they had no logical proof from which to reach their inference.  The men are stuck on a large block of ice that may or may not drift and blow in the direction they require, with stores that will only last a certain time.  For all they know, they could be dead in less than a year if they don’t find a way out.