Endurance, Part II- Chapters 1-3, Literary Term- Complex Sentence

The first three chapters of Part II begin with the crew attempting to make progress towards civilization, but after making little progress, Shackleton makes orders to remain where the crew is until January. The crew makes trips back to the Endurance to salvage any useful materials the can find. These chapters end with explanations of some of the crew members and their negative characteristics.


On page 69 Macklin makes a diary entry that states, "'It has been a lovely day, and it is hard to think that we are in a frightfully precarious situation.'" This quote is important because it shows how the crew is adapting to their situation and making the best of what they can. Instead of letting the fear of their situation get to them they learn to live with it and be happy they are still alive. I have a friend whose mother has terminal cancer. Instead of living in depression and fear, she lives everyday to the fullest. She, like the crew of the Endurance, is happy with her life even in her "precarious situation."


"Shackleton planned to have a small party of four men make the overland journey across the 5,000-foot glaciers of the Palmer Peninsula, while the rest of the party waited at Snow Hill for rescue." This complex sentence on page 78 informs the reader of Shackleton's plan of survival. Instead of having the whole crew attempt to haul the many tons of gear and food they have, Shackleton is trying to make the process of reaching civilization as fast and easy as possible. The independent clause is "Shackleton... Palmer Peninsula" and the dependent clause is "while...rescue."