Post # 4

At the beginning of this section, it seemed as if the crew was making progress and there was a new sense of hope. However, by chapter 2, they were not making any headway and conditions of the sea began to worsen. The berg the men stuck on was beginning to split and there was the danger of the men being plunged into the icy cold water. The men had to endure a lot throughout this whole section. Thus far, this was the most motivational sections of the book. Despite the horrible conditions and sleepless nights, the men did not give up. There remained a sense of determination even though they were suffering. “But the conviction that they had to land by nightfall gave rise to a strength born of desperation” (p. 166). This struck me as awe-inspiring because the men did everything they possibly could in order to survive. They pushed until they were finally able to reach Elephant Island. In addition, in this section, Worsley’s role was also admirable. Before, he was characterized as being irresponsible. However, in this section, he proved himself to be a phenomenal navigator as well as a skilled leader who was able to handle one of the boats, Docker.  It was a relief that the men were finally on “solid, unsinkable, immovable, blessed land” at the end of this section (p. 175).