For the next two chapters 7 and 8,
I would like you to simply respond to the content intelligently and thoughtfully. Have a true 'dialogue' with your classmates--respond more than once, if you feel so motivated. For each chapter, include at least two insights, thoughts, questions or connections to your own life experiences. Consider the limits of human endurance!
“Chase and his crew watched in horror as the planks of their old boat worked and twisted in the waves.” This quote reminds me a lot of when I was in the hospital and seeing all the people around me working on something. I was 3 at the time so it was pretty horrifying to me seeing a lot of people working on something for me. It relates to when Chase watched the planks of the old boat twist as the water hit them knowing at any second it could be over. “Pollard told them that his boat had been attacked by a whale.” This seems like a surprise that you would get when everything was good and something bad just had to come and find you. I know that now it seems like that feeling for sure. It is December 2, 2009 and there is no snow, I went out side and it was so sunny. It seemed like when everything was pretty much going good for the three boats and the Pollard told them that his boat had been attacked by a whale. “There is land!” When you think all else has faild on you and whoever else a little bit of light comes shining your way. I know I had that feeling when you play a softball game and you are loosing by a lot, all of the sudden light comes and you are thinking positive and you start winning, last thing you know you win the game. This happened to me a few times in softball seeing the team looss then winning at the last minut. “…waiting for God’s will to be revealed.” I know that when I am in the hospital waiting and waiting to either go in or get finished with this appointment I am just waiting and can’t wait to get finished. Then if something bad could happen ( witch it has) there is nothing else for me to think about but for a light to shine on me and show me a little relief in what is happening. I think this experience for me was kinda like the experience for them, doing nothing but waiting for something good to happen of something to show you the way.
ReplyDelete"At this early in the voyage, the whaleboats were dangerously overloaded". These boats were filled with over 1000 ounds or food equiptment ect. and had many men on them. The only situation that i could think of that was similar to this one was at the rock climbing gym. Kids would go up with 50 ound backpacks for no reason just to see if they could do it. This seemed kind of dangerous just like it was very dangerous to over load these boats. "There hunger wsa so voracious that once they began to eat, they found it difficult to stop". This remindes me of the couple times that i have done the 30 hour famines, in which you are very hungry and when you finally get to eat you are very excited. The people on these boats had little amounts of food, they only had bread so when they found tortoises they were thrilled. "That afternoon, a school of flying fish surrounded the three whaleboats. Four of the fish hit the sails of Chase's boat. One fell at the first mate's feet and, insinctively, he devoured it whole." I thought that this was very interesting because I myself have never been in a situation where I was so hungry that I ate a living animal. I did not know that they would be so hungry even though they did have breed. "Each crew took pride in its ability to row effortlessly, for hours at a time" i have rowed a boat befor many times and it is not easy work. I could not imagin how these men rowed for houres exspecially at night when you are tierd and can not see ahead of yourself. But these men did it for many days.
ReplyDeletepetra callo 12-2-09
These men struggles so much for there right to live on these boats. I am agreeing with Petra that they had minimal food, protection, water, and other necessary resources. I have felt hungry before and it does not feel good, but when I feel hungry it is just because I have not eaten for a couple of hours. These men has to eat so little for such a long period of time I could not imagine what that would be like. It was like with the flying fish that Petra talked about. I have never felt the urge to devour something raw and still living like that fish. Along with the minimal food they had limited amounts of water. They could not drink the salt water, because it would just make it worse for them. They need clean fresh water that they did have on the boat, but they had to ration it off and be very careful about how they used it. In the book it also says that they grew sores on there body from the spraying salt water. If you think about it they did not have sun screen or clean clothing. They had minimal clothing, a blaring sun that burnt their skin, and no protection from storms or other animals that could destroy or attack their small boats. It reminds me of being a child when you get lost in the woods for example. You feel like you will never get back, you feel like you will never survive like you will always be doomed to where ever you are lost to.
ReplyDeleteJamie Gates 12/2/09
These men went through so much, it seems almost unreal that his was a real event. Considering that we didn't know the exact details of it, but we did have a lot of detail and great resources for learning about it. It's unbearable to think what it must have felt like to go that long without food, a good amount of water, and had to deal with constantly being in this boat day after day for so long. It's crazy when you think how they got sores from the water, and how much it must have hurt and having nothing to really help with it, they just had to suffer. After a while, humans will simply convert to feral instinct, these men experienced it. I believe that it only occurs when one knows deep inside that they're doomed, and they don't know what to do at that point. This belief perfectly fits their situation, at their point in their journey, I'm sure their minds traveled to places so dark and gruesome we could only dream about them at night. Surely enough, one of the biggest audacities known to man occurs. Cannibalism, the ultimate form of feral instinct and survival. We'd all do it, no matter what we say now, if we were in their position, we'd think about it. In their case, they really act.
ReplyDeleteDylan A.M. 12/02/09
I was astounded by the crew's fear of cannibalism. They feared that any undeveloped islander was a cannibal. This fear led to the assumption that every island was cannibalistic. Another astounding thing was the navigational skills the mates had. They tracked their voyage with high accuracy. I found this cool because I did not know that the concept of longitude and latitude had been introduced by the turn of the 1800's. The voyage during night time was very cool, the ships had trouble seeing each other so they would sail only 100 feet apart. I have been sailing and when the boats are only 100 feet apart there is no space for error. The most ironic thing I found during my read was the attack of the killer whale. The sailors were terrified to discover that they had been attacked again by a whale. I knew that killer whales a dangerous animals that love to eat anything. They are about as dangerous as sharks but they are more outgoing to kill a sailor or sink a boat. I agree wit Dylan's response.
ReplyDeleteChristopher Lindberg 12/3/09
I would have to say that everything Topher has said i would agree with the most. The men on Nantucket Island and the Essex go though living hell. The thought of having to go without much food or water and then have to sail hundreds of miles is something that I would not want to do. Them women probably have it the most easiest. Looking at it.. i find myself contimplating on how easy my life is.
ReplyDeleteHunter
I agree with Hunter and Topher on this one.
ReplyDeleteThey are sailing towards the south american coast, and all of the sudden Pollards boat gets attacked once again, which is kinda funny to me reading, but it must have been horrifying for them. What interests me the most is how they could survive it. Put yourself in their position, hope is almost gone, and their provision is almost out. If I was put in that position I wouldn't survive a day.
Nikolaj
It's hard to say the limits of human endurance sometimes because it is different for just about everyone, however there is just about ALWAYS a limit to how far you can go. In their case, they are basically out in the middle of the ocean with miles of water separating them from the rest of civilization, with at some times absolutely no food or water. This would definitely stress just about anyone to the breaking point, however the little hope they have of being rescued seems to be enough for them to go on and continue to try. If this doesn't show how much humans can endure, then I don't know what would.
ReplyDeleteAsa Kuhn 12/5/09