"So now they sat in Mark Time Camp, disillusioned and humbly aware how truly pygmy they were to overcome the forces they faced, regardless of how much strength and determination they put forth. The realization was not so much humiliating as frightening(Page 100)."
The author uses this kind of language to set the Mood- ( The emotional atmosphere of the work) and to bring the reader to feel Pathos- (The quality in a work that prompts the reader to feel pity) for the tired, cold, and stranded crew. This writing style brings the reader into the story and makes the story come alive as it is read.
After five long days of travel, the crew of the now sunken Endurance were stagnant. There was nothing to do but think. After consistent failure to move off the ice floes, much of the crew lacked any kind of Motivation- (A character's incentive or reason for behaving in a certain manner; that which impels a character to act.) to go anywhere or make any other attempts of escape. They were broken, in mind, body, and spirit. This brokenness divided the group even more, they were constantly bitter and angry at each other. Some members of the crew refused to work and row the boats making the atmosphere of the group increasingly hostile. Now, outbreaks of violence were increasingly imminent.
This scene reminds me of a prison riot, or at least the beginnings of one. Cooperation is at a low and the mind numbing incarceration, the ice being like a prison for the crew of the Endurance, make hostility the status quo. Soon, something one person does could spark an all out brawl among the others. Of course, there is always someone to restore order, in the case of the Endurance it is sir Shackleton, so that synergy can come to the entire group.
No comments:
Post a Comment