Endurance: stuck for the winter

• Literary Term: imagery- the use of figures of speech to create vivid images that appeal to one of the senses
• example: "Up in the rigging hung a ton of whale meat for use as dog food.  It dripped blood constantly, spattering the deck and keeping the dogs in a near frenzy of anticipation hoping a piece would fall."
• Quote: "Among the men the realization that the Endurance was really beset for good came very slowly--like a kind of creeping resignation--a bad dream from which there was no awakening."
• One can only imagine the sinking feeling in the pit of these men's stomachs when they came to realize the finality of what had happened.  The crew of the Endurance was stuck in one of the most brutal areas of the world.  They knew almost at once that there was virtually no hope of being rescued from where they were.  Each man was fully aware that he was surrounded by almost one million square miles of ice, all of which was constantly moving due to winds and currents.  The situation wasn't so much a dream as it was a nightmare.  The Antarctic winter was on its way.  This meant months of sub-zero temperatures, almost no sunlight, and very limited access to food.  This quote clearly depicts the human instinct to fight off the acceptance that something truly terrible has taken place.  When a family or loved one passes away, a job is lost, or a disaster has taken place, we often deny it for as long as we can.  The crew, after accepting their fate, had to prepare both mentally and physically for the harsh winter that lie ahead of them.