A few things stuck out to me in this chapter as the men continue their struggle for survival in Antarctica. First of all, Lansing comments on the men's attitude toward food. In his diary, Worsley wrote, "It is scandalous--all we live for and think of now is food. I have never in my life taken half such a keen interest in food as I do now--and we are all alike. We are ready to eat anything..." This attitude is evident in the fact that they begin to enjoy eating blubber when before they wouldn't touch it. I think this is something that happens to everyone when they are very hungry. Suddenly, things that didn't seem so appealing are delicious if they are the only thing available. Also, I think that when the body starts to need certain types of food, it begins to crave it. For example, the men are suddenly interested in blubber. Fat gives the body energy. The men don't eat as much as they used to and their body needs more energy. Therefore, the blubber is a valuable meal.

       Another scene that struck me was when the Endurance finally sank. I tried to put myself in the situation of these men. Yes, they had been stranded ever since they had to abandon her, but the fact that she was finally gone--lost from view--made me feel a new level of hopelessness for these men. Something about that loss of the only thing they had left attaching them to civilization. Although they could not have sailed the ship in its condition, it held within her a certain level of hope. Without her, I feel I would have fallen into despair. I admire the men for their courage in the face of a situation which could have been interpreted as a symbol of their ruin.