Alfred Lansing
I'm sorry. It had to be done.
"Worsley, however, was far from distressed. He wrote in his diary that same night: "The rapidity with which one can completely change one's ideas... and accommodate ourselves to a state of barbarism is wonderful.""
page 67
Worsley's quote depicts the chief dilemma the crew faced: maintain humanity and die, or accept barbarism and live. After the crew abandoned ship, Shackleton challenged them to prioritize their possessions; all personal possessions that provided no useful purpose had to be left behind. Shackleton himself threw down coins and even a Bible given to him by the Queen. Not just inanimate objects were sacrificed; the crew was forced to kill several puppies who would only be a burden, as they could pull no weight. (I don't think would EVER be able to do this. I was on the verge of tears just reading about it.) Once the crew started moving and a permanent campsite was established, dissent threatened to tear the crew apart from within.
One of the crew members, who was nicknamed Orde-Lees, created tension by his egotistical and lazy personality. Every other crew member complained about his unwillingness to pull his weight and his giving of extremely small rations. However, Shackleton was not able to address this behavior, as it changed when Orde-Lees was confronted by him. Lansing, utilizing advanced diction, writes, "With Shackleton, however, he was obsequious-an attitude which Shackleton detested." Obsequious is a synonym for obedient. Lansing (aside from making me look up the word "obsequious") used advanced diction to portray Shackleton's struggle to address Orde-Lees' unpopular behavior.
The struggle of the men to survive is similar to the story in William Golding's Lord of the Flies. In both stories, the victims of a wreck are forced to survive by adopting barbaric methods of survival, especially brutal hunting techniques. However, in Lord of the Flies the leader of the stranded children, Jack, resorts to tyranny and murder in order to survive while Shackleton strives to maintain order and peace as much as possible.
Will Shackleton succeed in maintaining peace, or will the crew succumb to violence and dissent? Only time will tell.
One of the crew members, who was nicknamed Orde-Lees, created tension by his egotistical and lazy personality. Every other crew member complained about his unwillingness to pull his weight and his giving of extremely small rations. However, Shackleton was not able to address this behavior, as it changed when Orde-Lees was confronted by him. Lansing, utilizing advanced diction, writes, "With Shackleton, however, he was obsequious-an attitude which Shackleton detested." Obsequious is a synonym for obedient. Lansing (aside from making me look up the word "obsequious") used advanced diction to portray Shackleton's struggle to address Orde-Lees' unpopular behavior.
The struggle of the men to survive is similar to the story in William Golding's Lord of the Flies. In both stories, the victims of a wreck are forced to survive by adopting barbaric methods of survival, especially brutal hunting techniques. However, in Lord of the Flies the leader of the stranded children, Jack, resorts to tyranny and murder in order to survive while Shackleton strives to maintain order and peace as much as possible.
No comments:
Post a Comment