The Shackleton: Summary: Bailey O Brien

Shackleton Essay By:Bailey O’Brien

When you say Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition the things people think of most are the crew and the survival stories. When people think of these stories they think of how they survived, but when you think of how they survived you think of the people who were responsible and the people responsible for the survival of the 28 men aboard the shipwreck at the bottom of the earth. You tend to think of Shackleton’s leadership, Macklin and Mcilroy’s willingness to keep themselves in order so they can keep the other men alive, And Worsley’s navigating abilities and how he was able to lead them to the island without missing the mark. But the doctors and Worsley wouldn’t have Even made it of the Arctic alive if

Shackleton was born on February 15, 1874 in Ireland. He was the first of 2 boys in his family but he was not the first of the ten kids his parents have had. Ernest's brother, Frank Shackleton, was a prime suspect in the 1907 theft, Ireland’s Crown Jewels. Shackleton was schooled by a governess until the age of eleven when he then started to be schooled at Fir Lodge Preparatory School in West Hill, Dulwich in south east London. Shackleton later attended Dulwich College at the age of thirteen. Shackleton was able to leave school at just 16 years old to go out to sea and by the age of 24 he had already gotten all his tickets to become a Master Mariner which allowed to lead a British ship anywhere in the world. Shackleton was a very courageous man. He lead 28 men into the most dangerous part of the world with no major concerns, and having health problems himself, and yet, he still had the courage to lead all those men into the Antarctic. Shackleton was such a good leader because not only did he get along with men but all the men had respected him for his courageousness and ability to act upon issues when necessary. Shackleton was a very calm person and he was even though he was above all other men in the classes he didn’t see

These were the biggest contributions these men had brought to this crew and when they put all these characteristics together they became the greatest survivors of all time. Say if Shackleton died earlier in the expedition there would be no one to properly lead the crew and keep them alive. If the doctors died men wouldn’t have known what to do to survive the frostbite. If Worsley died there was probably no possible chance the crew would have hit the island and they would be drifting off into the sea hopeless. Everyone wishes to live the life all these men lived even though Shackleton died soon after the expedition we all wish to be the adventurer he was and the navigator Worsley was or even the great surgeons Macklin and Mcilroy were. They went from low life, nobodies to the greatest survival story of all