I found this section the most suspenseful of any other section. I was on edge reading the whole thing waiting to see where the crew would end up. Being on those small boats for days just trying to get to any sort of land, even ice bergs, sounds horrendous. They traveled through the nights exhausted and soaking wet. I would think the most challenging thing would be to keep all of the boats from separating from one another. One big wave of open sea, you may never make it back. Shackleton handled it all pretty well though.
The worst thing that happened was in chapter 3 when the crew discovered that Worsley made a mistake in calculations and Shackleton changed their destination AGAIN. That killed a lot of the crews morale. That night was terrible as well with everyone thirsty and going to the bathroom all night while being docked in the middle of the sea. Shackleton constantly tried to keep everyone together and upbeat for their journey. He even told Blackboro he could go ashore Elephant island before anyone. Blackboro was too distraught to even move onto the island, Rickenson ended up having a heart attack, and Greenstreet's feet were frostbitten were hard to walk on. At least they were on land.
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Even with all the damage in health when they arrived at Elephant Island, it really is a stroke of luck that they weren't worse off when they landed. That journey was intense and it's almost surprising that they didn't lose anyone for good. Much earlier in the trip could have seen injuries and health conditions just as bad! I don't know how they managed to avoid these same mishaps earlier.
ReplyDeleteThe difference great leadership and unity makes in group efforts! Shackleton built and so far has maintained a reputation unblemished that combined with his great interpersonal skills I believe kept the crew not just safe from more catastrophic injuries, but also kept them all alive and together. Herd mentality, monkey-see-monkey-do, when in tribulation and unsure of how to react to situations, we as social learners engage in doing what others do, especially those of authority. Shackleton was a great source of emotional balance and positivity. He even allowed himself to be able to be relative of the others when in previous sections he revealed his lowered spirits through certain subtle actions. Timed and executed just right, not that they were totally calculated for the greater good, gave him the humanistic qualities whereas the crew knew to continue to follow suit and stick in it, until Shackleton completely surrenders or loses his poise. He did a great job of leading by example which served as a realistic model that could be emulated to different degrees when in need of extra motivation
ReplyDeleteI think overall Shackleton is a good leader and even though at some points it was uncomfortable for the men, he still made sure all of them were safe and sound. He made sure they all made it to land. This is how every leader should be, strong, brave, and successful!
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