[Lansing] (Endurance) Theme One: Shackleton (Vocabulary Word: Round Character)

Sir Ernest Shackleton (left) and Endurance (right)

Throughout the bout for survival, Shackleton changes in thought patterns and actions. During each stretch of the the journey, Shackleton learned the necessity of making calculated risks while still fearing for the safety of his crew. In part two, the crew gave Shakleton a clandestine nickname: 'Shackleton's aversion to tempting fate was well known. This attitude had earned him the nickname "Old Cautious" or "Cautious Jack.' Shackleton went from the position of taking no risks on the ice to allowing separation of the crew on Elephant Island, and at the near end of the journey, he suggested that the hike crew should slide down the edge of a glacier: " They had to get lower-- and with all possible haste. So he suggested they slide. Worsley and Crean were stunned-- especially for such an insane solution to be coming from Shackleton."

This contrast can also be compared to the decisions made under his current state of mind. For example, Shackleton made the erroneous decision to leave three seals behind in the optimistic belief that they had enough food and that he did not want the food to rot. That repercussions of that decision were exacerbated when the camp nearly ran out of food. From that point onward, Shackleton allowed the crew to take some risks, such as when he authorized the Caird to separate from the Docker and the Wills in order to scout for land ahead. This dynamic change suggests that Shackleton is a round character because he changes over the course of the voyage.

Conditions are not always as they appear. Sometimes the less rational approaches and calculated risks can be the more beneficial. I was in a single person tent once during a stormy night. There was a slight ravine in the ground under my tent, and water began to seep into my tent from that ravine. My towel was already wet from the day's activities, so in a half-awake daze, I threw an old shirt under my sleeping bag. In the morning, I found that the shirt has not only absorbed the water, but it had also leveled out the tent and prevented more water from entering the tent. Even though separation was extremely dangerous, Shackleton allowed the crew of the Caird to sail ahead, yet the Caird found land and reunited with the Docker and the Wills. Shackleton's calculated risk had proven to be successful.