Ernest Shackleton Analysis

Endurance is a novel that explains the giant failure of a trans-Antarctic expedition. The entire operation was led by bold and brave man by the name of Sir Ernest Shackleton. The purpose of the expedition was to attempt to cross the Antarctic continent in the year 1914. It was an outrageous and at some points, a hopeless struggle for survival for Shackleton and his crew. He had a crew of twenty-eight strong and noble men, which were resilient and determined on this journey, of about two years. The book’s title, Endurance, is also the ship Shackleton and his crew used on the expedition. The ship was unfortunately crushed by the ice very early in the men’s journey, leaving them stranded on drifting ice, for about a year, but that was just the beginning.

In Endurance Shackleton's Incredible Voyage, Alfred Lansing recounts the tale of one of the greatest successes of the Twentieth Century. Ironically, Lansing's detailed account of the 1915 Trans-Antarctic Expedition illuminates the stark reality that Sir Ernest Shackleton's expedition did not fulfill its goal. In fact, the expedition never even set foot upon the continent that they had intended to cross. The outstanding success of that motley crew of adventurers was in their ability to endure the harsh Antarctic climate. Despite having their ship crushed by an ice cap, spending the dark Antarctic winter hopelessly alone, suffering through a stormy voyage in

Shipwreck at the Bottom of the Worldvividly recreates one of the most extraordinary adventure stories in history. In August 1914, Ernest Shackleton and 27 men sailed from England in an attempt to become the first team of explorers to cross the Antarctic continent from one side to the other. Five months later and still 100 miles from land, their ship,Endurance, became trapped. The expedition survived an Antarctic winter in the icebound ship, then, afterEndurancesank, five months camped on the ice followed by a perilous boat journey through storms and icebergs to remote and unvisited Elephnat Island, 600 miles from Cape Horn. From there, their only hope was for someone to fetch help. In a dramatic climax to this amazing survival story, Shackleton

What parallels do you see between Shackleton and other entrepreneurs or leaders whom you have studied? What were Shackleton’s strengths and weaknesses?

“Because of such happenings and many others of a like sort, various fears and superstitions arose among the survivors, almost all of which tended toward one end-to flee from the sick and whatever had belonged to them. In this way each man thought to be safeguarding his own health. Some among them were of the opinion that by living temperately and guarding against excesses of all kinds, they could do much toward avoiding the danger; and in forming a band they lived away from the rest of the world. Gathering in those houses where no one had been ill and living was more comfortable, they shut themselves in. They ate moderately of the best that could be had and drank

They have little energy and are no longer sure of rescue. This is, in my opinion the most interesting part of the story emotionally. The characters seem truelly desperate and nothing makes for a better story than a bit of desperation. Their struggle is intense and realistic. it becomes easy to picture these men struggling to survive against the harsh winter waves. How hard they struggle is both ironic and amusing. The narator describes the crew as the correspondent sees them. "The oiler was ahead in the race. He was swimming strongly and rapidly." The oiler is obviously trying the hardest to survive; a wasted effort on his part. "Off to the correspondent's left, the cook's great white and corked back bulged out of the water, and in the rear the captain was hanging with his one good hand to the keel of the overturned dingey." The captain and cook are struggling as well but barely manage to hold on. In my opinion this shows how useless they are to the whole party. The captain has done nothing but shot orders and the cooks optimism did nothing to help the

For an exemplary leader, what is one of the highest compliments that you could ever receive? Sir Ernest Shackleton was a British explorer who–after failing to reach the Southern Pole first–wanted to be the first to ever accomplish a trans–Antarctic expedition. On October 27th, 1915 Shackleton’s boat–the Endurance–was crushed by the pressure of the melting Antarctic ice; leaving Shackleton and his crew stranded in the Antarctic. On August 30th, 1916 after a treacherous one and a half years of living in the Antarctic and surrounding islands, Shackleton and his crew were rescued following an unimaginable story of survival. The qualities of leadership Shackleton exhibited that resulted in the survival of him and his crew were, having certain

A devastating passage is, “We were tormented with hunger. We had eaten nothing for six days, except a bit of grass or some potato peelings found near the kitchens” (Wiesel 83).

Captain Scott’s exploration began with the scene of his four men’s Oates, Bowers, Wilson, and Evans crossing the Antarctic on foot, dragging along a one-thousand-pound sled with them. While their competitor, Amundsen was much faster in the race by using sled dogs, later slaughtering them when they 're no longer in good used. Scott refuses the aid of dogs, as he perceives it to be barbaric. Each of Scott’s men has a different personality, bringing life to the play. Oates is a hardened soldier, while Bowers keeps the men on their feet with his optimism, Wilson plays important roles, as he’s the doctor and Evans is the largest and strongest of the five men. However, Evan was the first one to fall.

Walton’s journey will be a success and will make it to the Arctic passage due to his unwavering passion for this “enterprise” and his tenacity. Problems he could encounter are sickness, such

“But skilled and loyal assistants on other polar ventures, however famous the expedition and it’d leader, are seldom remembered and really celebrate.” (pg 3)

Most often the core of characters whom we refer to as “the men” come across as an undifferentiated whole: a single unit rather than a collection of individuals each with a personality and unique assets. As members of the military they accepted the enterprise as the “Lewis and Clark Expedition” (and today we appreciate that it was called such, and not a listing of all 35-or-so names in the party). As human beings, however, they were individuals with individual names and individual experiences, and each had their own individual story to

My interest in these places began as a kid, when I found a book about the arctic explorer Ernest Shackleton, and the epic survival story of his failed quest to reach the South Pole. On the way, the crew’s ship was trapped between icebergs, and eventually crushed, leaving them

The men came to the conclusion that “fate” must be the reason that they are experiencing this deathly situation. It is the understanding of this fact that brings the men to the edge of their misery. At this point the men feel like their lives are coming to an end, so much so that they even ask the captain if they have a chance at survival, to which the captain replies "If this wind holds and the boat don't swamp, we can't do much else." This quote shows the uselessness that the men feel, but it also makes apparent there is still a possibility of hope.

Shackleton’s voyage employ’s that through “times of crisis and desperation” the regular understanding and perception of a leader and employee relationship are tested. However as Michel (1962) points out, rather than bureaucracy disappearing, he compares it to a ghost “lurking inside the democratic principles”. This argument is brought about through Browning’s (2007) analysis of the “Endurance”. Browning (2007) argues that leaders such as Shackleton can change the way they approach the needs of employee during times of hardship. This approach is advocated briefly through the Contingency and skills approach theory. For example, Shackleton adopted a post-buearatic view, noticing value in leader-to-member relations. He was prepared to go to any