Endurance, Part VII- Chapters 1-3, Literary Term- Epiphany

Part VII begins with the six man crew of the Caird making camp on a small beach in South Georgia. They regained their strength and a few days later they sailed to another part of South Georgia. Then Shackleton, Worsley, and Crean set out on foot to reach the whaling ports in Stromness Bay. After days of climbing glaciers and back tracking, the three man team makes it to Stromness Bay. Their expedition to get help has now been completed.

"Suddenly he jerked his head upright. All the years of Antarctic experience told him that this was the danger sign-- the fatal sleep that trails off into freezing death." This quote found on page 269 is important because it shows how Shackleton's quick thinking saves their lives. If Shackleton had not caught himself before he fell asleep then he, Worsley, and Crean may have frozen to death. This would have meant that the rest of the crew may not have been saved. This quote reminds me of a book I read in middle school called Wolf Brother. In this book a boy almost dies because he falls asleep in sub-zero weather.

On page 266 Shackleton has an epiphany, "After thirty minutes, the ice-hard surface of the snow grew softer, indicating that the grade was not quite so steep. Shackleton stopped short. He seemed to realize all at once the futility of what he was doing... If they stayed where they were, they would freeze... So he suggested they slide." This passage shows that Shackleton suddenly has an idea of how to get down the glacier. Without this revelation, the team of three may have never made it to civilization.