Hope (Chapters 4-6 of Part V)

Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage
Alfred Lansing

"There was almost never any mention of the most probably reason of all . . . the Caird had been lost."
page 203

The crew fought to retain their optimism.  They had overcome too many obstacles to find out that Shackleton had died and help would never come.  In addition, optimism was a necessity if they wished to maintain unity and cooperation within the group; some men were likely to break if they thought that the Caird, Shackleton's ship, had been lost. In order to protect against the elements as well as brighten everyone's outlooks, the group build a shelter out of the boats and rocks.  Through the use of polysyndeton, Lansing portrays the importance of the newfound comfort by adding emphasis on each aspect: "Other men took positions on the ground, wherever it looked the snuggest, or the driest, or the warmest."  In addition, through dialogue, Lansing portrays the group's efforts to raise morale by discussing treats from home: " 'Do you like doughnuts?' Wild asked.  'Rather,' McIlroy replied. 'Damned easily made, too,' Wild said.  'I like them cold with a little jam.' "  Not only does the conversation help the men think happy thoughts, it helps them believe that they will return to England to enjoy those treats.

The blocking of unfavorable outcomes from one's mind is also found in the fifth Harry Potter book, The Order of the Phoenix (I apologize for the frequent Harry Potter references, but one has to admit that there are a lot of similarities!).  During the The Order of the Phoenix Harry battles Dolores Umbridge, the newest addition to the Hogwarts staff and secretary in the Ministry of Magic, and Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic.  Both Umbridge and Fudge take every opportunity they can to tarnish the credibility of Harry and Dumbledore, who attempt to spread the true message that Voldemort had returned to his body.  Umbridge and Fudge deny his return (until, of course, Fudge actually sees him) to save morale.  Voldemort proved to be the biggest threat to the wizarding world, and to think that he had returned again would be absolutely devestating to wizards everywhere (except, of course, Voldemort's followers).  They didn't want the masses to lose faith in the Ministry, and they did not want to face the fact that their lives were in serious danger.

Despite the crew's optimism, conditions steadily got worse.  Their shelter was infested with stinking water, and, by August, two months past their estimations, no rescue ship had arrived.  It was beginning to appear that the group would have to sail for another island themselves.  Even worse, some members of the crew had lost hope that Shackleton was alive.