Endurance, Part IV- Chapters 1-5, Literary Term- Dilemma

Part IV begins with the three small boats embarking on their expedition to land. The boats go through many hardships, and the crew has to sleep on ice bergs and floes. The men face frost bite, thirst, and hunger; Blackboro even looses his feet from frost bite. After many days of terrible weather conditions, constant changing of destination, and separation of the boats, the crew reaches Elephant Island.


On page 162 I found a quote that says, "After a time, it took extreme concentration for them to keep wiggling their toes-- it would have been so terribly easy just to stop." This quote is important because it shows how determined the crew is to survive. When times get hard the crew does not give up, instead they endure the pain. Running in a cross country meet is very similar. In order to run well, sometimes even finish the race, I have to be able to push myself when I want to quit.


"This was precisely the situation Shackleton had feared since the first appearance of the swell at Patience Camp. The berg was crumbling beneath them, and might split or upend at any moment. And yet to launch the boats would be idiocy. They would have been splintered to bits in ninety seconds." This passage, found on page 150, shows that Shackleton is put into a severe dilemma. He must make a decision that could either save or kill the whole crew.