"The Essex disaster is not a tale of adventure." ~~Epilogue
And so the story ends. But the ramifications continue even today, I think. I can't wait to discuss the book in class. I'm interested to know what you thought of the whaling industry, the quest for profit, and these men's story. A few things I noted:
- The average adult human would provide about sixty-six pounds of edible meat.
- The lottery system in Pollard's boat when they were trying to figure out who would die and become everyone else's meal
- The irony of Coffin's name when he became the first to die by lottery
- Pollard's continued failure on sea, and Chase's continued failure on land
I thought Philbrick did an excellent job with the Epilogue. He notes that Nantucket is now a posh get-away and abode for the rich and the idle. People come there to shop, to tour, and to learn about whaling. But Philbrick states that it is the "glorification" of whaling that is taught, not the kinds of things your read about in this book.
I love the way he describes their voyage (after the sinking) as "wandering the watery desert." Isn't that a great way of putting it? Very oxymoronic. If you don't know that word, look it up!
So, now that you've finished the book, I have a little assignment for you that will be due ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, AUGUST 7, ALONG WITH YOUR BOOK. I will not take anything LATE. Put your book and your assignment in your book bag before orientation so that you have it.
OK! Here is your assignment. From the options listed below, CHOOSE ONE and write a ONE PAGE (college ruled notebook paper), DOUBLE SPACED REFLECTION. A reflection means your thoughts, your educated and imaginative thoughts, on the subject. USE AN EXAMPLE FROM THE BOOK and an EXAMPLE FROM SOMETHING ELSE YOU'VE READ, OR SEEN (photo, movie, etc.), OR IMAGINED. If you have any questions, email me. Be sure to read all these directions!
OPTIONS: (choose ONE)
1. The quality of HOPE. Important? Necessary? What do YOU think? Some had it. Some lost it. Does hope make a difference in one's life?
2. Our DEPENDENCE ON OIL. You can compare whale oil to fuel oil. Same? Different?
3. The issue of ECOLOGY. Was it cruel to hunt the sperm whale, almost to endangered species status? Do we have a responsibility to wildlife, or does PROFIT TRUMP EVERYTHING?
I can't wait to see all of you on Friday, August 7, I know, it's too soon, right?! We'll get through it, together. Let's call the first day REVENGE OF THE SUMMER. Don't forget to bring your annotated book and your reflection!
Enjoy your last few days!
Mrs. C.
In chapter 11 we learn that chase becomes a different man and that instead of keeping his old ways of being strict he changed and was nice and he tried to motivate the people in his boat to fight and stay alive also he would give bigger amounts of food to the his shipmate. Also in this chapter we learned that some of the boats had began to eat those who died to survive. One boat even played a game to see who would die next and who would kill them these men had to do whatever they could to survive.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 12 we learned that Isaac Cole was dead and chases crew decided to eat Coles body also in captains pollards boat Barzillai died, he was 19 years old and this was the 7th death on his boat. Chases crew got rescued by the Indian from London and chases crew was so weak that when they tried to climb up on the Indian they couldn’t. The Indian then took them to the Chilean port of Valparaiso.
In chapter 13 the boats get rescued and people on the island were very interested in the essex crew member’s story and everybody on the island wanted to hear the story of what happened to their boat. Also at the end of this chapter they set out to find the other three shipmates that decided to stay on the island.
In Chapter 14 we learned that captain pollard went out to sea again on a boat named the two brothers and he said that bad things don’t happen twice but his ship ended up getting stuck at sea again. Chase also went on another ship called new Bedford, it lasted less than two years and they brought 2,000 barrels of oil. Nantucket, once a whaling capital of the world was now a ghost town
In the epilogue we learned that they recovered to things from the essex a box and the piece of string that one of the survivor had kept and
Good, but you didn't finish! Also, watch capitalization. It matters!
DeleteIn Chapter 11, the first of the crew to die was Lawson Thomas, one of the black crew members. The men had to become cannibals and had to butcher his body and eat him. In the beginning, the men on the Essex feared going to random islands where cannibals would be there to eat them. Irony. The second to die and be eaten was Charles Shorter, another black crew member. The next two men, who were both black, to die and be eaten were Isaiah Sheppard and Samuel Reed. Three of these men were on Hendrick's boat and Samuel Reed was on Pollard's boat. Chase has changed from the harsh disciplinarian who had doled out rations with a gun by his side, to now speaking to the men an almost cheerful voice. On Pollards boat there was a death game, like a lottery. They cast lots to see who would be killed so that the rest could live. The person who drew the short straw was Owen Couffin who was Pollard's cousin.
ReplyDeleteIn Chapter 12, Isaac Cole on Chase's boat dies and is eaten. Also Barzillai Ray on Pollard's boat dies and is eaten. Then Nickerson loses it. He gets very weak and dizzy. He also has something like dementia. Finally, Chase's boat is rescued. It was Benjamin Lawrence who saw a sail. It was the boat, the Indian, that saved them. Chase, Lawrence, and Nickerson were finally saved. Then Pollard and Ramsdell were saved by the boat the Dauphine.
In Chapter 13, people were moved by what happened and donated money to the survivors. Chappel, Weeks, and Wright are rescued from Henderson Island by the boat the Surry. Chappel had to swim to the boat to be saved and then put the rope around himself to go to the island for the other two guys. Everyone on Hendrix's boat was found, but they were dead skeletons. Pollard and Ramsdale were found clutching the bones of their dead companions. Pollard was to weak for the voyage home. The others left for Nantucket when Pollard arrived 2 months later. The 8 men finally got home to Nantucket. There were tears of sorrow then tears of joy. When Pollard finally got back there was a silent crowd. Pollard had the hardest time because he had to talk to his aunt about his cousins death and the owners of the Essex about the boat.
In Chapter 14, Pollard goes out to sea again, as the captain of the boat the Two Brothers. The saying lightning never strikes twice doesn't apply to Pollard because he wrecks his second boat into a coral reef. But they are rescued by the boat the Martha. Pollard doesn't get a third chance and becomes a night watchman on Nantucket. Chase becomes successful where they bring in thousands of barrels of oil. Chase ended up being married 4 times because his wives died and had 4 children as well. Later Chase's son meets Herman Melville on a whale ship and his son gives him a copy of Chase's stories of the Essex. Herman Melville is a novelist who wrote short stories and is famous for writing Moby Dick, the whale. Ramsdale and Lawrence become boat captains, Nickerson moves to New York, and Chappel returns to London. Weeks and Wright were crew members on the Surry. Wright was lost at sea, Weeks retired to Cape Cod. Chase turned insane and died in his old age.
I agree with his summary because it was true the boat wreckage was a tragedy but there was also bravery.
Definitely bravery, even if forced!
DeleteIn Chapter 11, Games of Chance, the crew engages in cannibalism. It is ironic that the men avoided Society Islands because they feared the natives might be cannibals which is what they became. Chase changes from being a strict disciplinarian to a leader who offers encouragement to his crew. The idea of choosing lots to see who would be killed to feed the others had to be very difficult for the crew. How Owen Coffin accepted his fate is hard to understand.
ReplyDeleteIn Chapter 12, Lawrence spots a sail. The men race toward the sail hoping to catch up with the ship. They make it. Chase, Nickerson, and Lawrence are rescued by the crew of the Indian. Later in the chapter, we learn that Pollard and Ramsdell are rescued by the crew of the Dauphin.
The Homecoming in Chapter 13 tells of the rescue of Chappel, Weeks, and Wright from Henderson Island. We also learn that Obed Hendricks, Joseph Weeks and William Bond died at sea. This is very sad. They should have stayed on Henderson Island because they were sailing without any navigational equipment. The townspeople experience both joy and grief when the ships arrive. Pollard had a difficult time when he returned home because he had to have a lengthy interview with the owners of the Essex and he had to tell his aunt what happened to her son, Owen Coffin. Pollard's situation improved and he was made captain of the ship Two Brothers. Later, Chase had a hard time because he wrote his account of what happened on the Essex and the Nantucketers believed he was trying to enrich himself by writing about the sufferings of his own people. It took 11 years before he set sail out of Nantucket.
Finally, in Chapter 14, we learn what happened to all the men. Captain Pollard's ship struck a coral reef and the ship had to be abandoned. Pollard had said lightning never struck in the same place twice. He found out this old saying is not true. His whaling career ended and he became a night watchman. Chase had a successful career as a ship captain, but he had problems in his personal life. Charles Ramsdell and Benjamin Lawrence became ship captains before retiring. Seth Weeks and William Wright worked as crew members on ships and Weeks later retired to Cape Cod, but unfortunately Wright was lost at sea in a hurricane. Thomas Chappel returned to London and died of a fever on the island of Timor. Herman Melville wrote Moby Dick which is based on the true story of the Essex.
The Epilogue describes how much Nantucket has changed from a fishing village to a tourist town. Philbrick notes that the story of the Essex is troubling and complex. He says the story is a tragedy in part because of the many mistakes that were made. I agree. This is a sad story. So much of this tragedy could have been avoided if Captain Pollard had been a stronger leader.
Interesting in that you think it's because Pollard was not a strong leader. Let's talk about that in class. I'd like to see what everyone thinks! Good job. :)
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ReplyDeleteIn chapter 11, the first victim of cannibalism,Lawson Thomas ,died and was eaten. The men were very upset about eating their ship mate and in an earlier chapter were afraid to go to an island because they heard people on the island were cannibals. They had to turn into the people they were afraid of to survive. The next three people to die ere Charles Shorter, Isaiah Sheppard then Samuel Reed.Pollard's boat did it different. His boat did a lottery to see who would die. The unlucky person to “win” the lottery was Owens Coffin.
In Chapter 12 more people die and are eaten.On chase's boat Isaac Cole dies, on Pollard's bat Barzilli Ryan dies and they are both eaten. During this chapter Nickerson completely gives up and goes crazy. He starts to get weak and die. Chase and his crew get saved!!!The boat that saved Chase was saved by a boat called the indian. Chase, Lawrence and Nickerson were all eventually saved.
In Chapter 13, Lots of people heard the story of the essex and donated money to the crew and boat. The people that stayed on the island were rescued but two of them couldn’t swim and the boat couldn’t get close to the shore. Because of this Chappel had to swim to the boat pulling the others to get everybody to the Surry safely, The last boat was found washed up on shore and all the people were dead. Everybody except Pollard arrived in Nantucket 2 months after the rescue. Pollard was too weak to come home. There was a cheering crowd when the first 8 men arrived but later when Pollard arrived the crowd was silent. Pollard had to explain to him aunt about his cousin that died and to the owner of the ship about what happened.
In Chapter 14, Pollard continues to go to see and this time he is the captain of the boat two brothers Pollard wrecks the second boat (this time it wasn’t a whale.)But this time the martha saved them. Pollard dosen't captain any more.Chase brings lots of oil in the other times he goes to sea. Chase gets married 4 times and has 5 kids. A book was written about the Essex and the crew members Some of the crew moves,So continue to go to sea and unfortunately one gets lost at sea. Chase eventually dies because of old age.
The epilogue tells the whole story summary and at the end we see the only thing left from the shipwreck was the piece of twain.
Yes, to think that the twine survived the journey is an amazing thing! And that Nickerson resurfaced, after all those years, with it still in his possession!
DeleteIn chapter 11, Chase changes his mood from being strict to motivating others and even giving the men more food. We also found out that some of the boats had begun to eat the men who died. One boat played a game to see who would die next. That game proves they are going insane. It shocked me how they treated each other; that shows how desperate that they were.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 12, many men were dying including Isaac Cole and Barilla who was from Nantucket. The survivors were so desperate that they were forced to eat the bodies of the dead men. Finally, Chase’s crew was rescued by a boat named “Indian” from London. The men of the “Indian” had to carry the survivors aboard and then took them to the Chilean port of Valparaiso. It amazed me how much hope Chase had, and it payed off.
In chapter 13, the men on the other boats were rescued, and people on the island were so amazed by the stories that the crew of the Essex told. Near the end of the chapter, the men leave the island to search for the other men that stayed on Henderson Island. They hoped that they were still alive and could save them.
In chapter 14, both Captain Pollard and Chase returned to sea. Captain Pollard’s boat, “The Two Brothers” was wrecked at sea, and saved by “The Martha”. Chase had a successful voyage on a ship called “The New Bedford” and brought 2,000 barrels of oil to Nantucket which was no longer a town that supported the whaling industry.
Let's talk about the demise of whaling in class. Your job is to remember this!
DeleteIn chapter eleven, as Pollard's and Hendrick's boats reach the end of what remaining food they have left, Lawson Thomas is the first african american to die. Pollard is soon forced to make a difficult decision on whether they do or don't eat Lawson. Eventually Pollard succumbs to his hunger and the crew begin to eat Lawson's corpse. Two days later another african american dies, Charles Shorter and he too was eaten. While on Chase's boat we see Chase develop from a once mean and punishing person to now a hopeful, confident, kind person. He is trying to find the positives to keep his weak crew of four alive. For example he increases the daily rations of food. Chase's crew then are faced with cold rain which could easily give the men hypothermia. Another african american from Hendrick's crew dies and is eaten, it's Sheppard. The next day Reed the sole african american dies and is eaten. Pollard and Hendrick's boats get separated and Hendrick has no compass so they are left to float about the sea. Now with only four on Pollard's boat Ramsdell suggests pulling slots to see who shall be killed and eaten. eventually they all agree and it is Coffin Pollard's cousin who looses.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter twelve, one morning Cole went crazy and began to rant and see things which eventually led to his death that after noon and he was eaten. On Pollard's boat Ray had died to and he was eaten. As Chase thinks he had spotted an island Nickerson just seems to have given up. Chase notices him barely clinging to life and he tries his best to give him hope. Soon after Lawrence spots a sail in the distance and even Thomas springs to life. Eventually they near the ship named "Indian" and are hauled on and fed. They learn they are within a couple days from Valparaiso. For the next five days Pollard and Charles pushed on until they were approaching the chilean coast. Ever since Ray died they were living off Ray's bone marrow until they suddenly hear men shouting they were rescued by a ship named Dauphin. When well enough the first thing Pollard did was tell his story of what had happened.
In chapter thirteen, Chase, Lawrence, and Nickerson arrive at Valparaiso. Word of the Essex made its way to Nantucket and people filled the streets with sadness. Finally all five of them are joined again all survivors are found except Hendrick's boat. They had also raised $500 for assistance. Soon a Nantucket whale ship arrived and offered to take all survivors back home. Pollard was still too weak so he stayed behind for another two months until the ship Two Brothers leaves. In the meantime the ship Constellation searches for Chappel, Weeks, and Wright. They eventually find them on Henderson island and surprisingly they are all still alive. When they all arrive they are greeted like heroes. Chase began making a book of what had happened.
In chapter fourteen, Pollard captains the ship Two Brothers but Nickerson and Ramsdell are also on the ship too. Pollard happens to wreck the ship on rocks luckily the ship Martha saved the crew. Pollard was never a captain again. Chase had success on the New Bedford but he was home very little and was married Four different times. In his old age he is declared insane due to the damage done by wreck of the Essex. Thomas gets married and before his death helps create a book on what happened to the Essex.
I think the stories of what happened to the men after they got back (if they survived) is really interesting and would also make a good discussion. :)
DeleteNow that things are being ever worse than started, people are starting to give up. Hendricks’s crew has lost a total of four men, leaving only William Bond as the last surviving black on the Essex’s crew. Instead of putting the bodies in the depths of the ocean, they decided that they would eat the bodies. As each man began to die, it became a good thing because this meant that they didn’t have to share food with as much people, leaving them with more food to consume. After Pollard and his crew got lost at sea, the Nantucketers decided than they should play a game… a death game. The death fell on Owen Coffin and the men that killed him was his friend Charles Ramsdell.
ReplyDeleteAfter continuous deaths and eating off of their friend’s human flesh the men were starting to gain another effect of starvation, called edema. When the men where just about done with starving and wanting to give up, Chase noticed a boat, the Indian. After finally catching up with the boat, the men soon realized that they didn’t have the strength to pull themselves up. When the crew of the boat helped them up, they were finally given something to eat.
Pollard also found a boat that later became the rescue to their prayers.
When they were finally rescued and reached the island, it was time to face the truth. Their people were not happy with the fact that they had killed and eaten their own shipmates.
Pollard had it the hardest. He had to walk through the town knowing that people were upset with him. Not to mention he had to talk to his aunt about Owen Coffin.
Toward the end, Captain Pollard had been successful with the Two Brothers. Until their boat hit a reef on a rainy day, this would soon destroy the boat. Pollard had to quickly think of what the plan was in order to survive. After finally moving to the whaleboats, the next morning they saw the other ship that was on the voyage, they got on it and continued with their voyage.
Pollard knew that he had to tell George Bennet about the story of the Essex in painful details. As he predicted, his whaling career was over.
On the other hand, Chase had to go through the deaths of his two wives and having to care for four children with his wife Eunice Chadwick. Chase was on to his last voyage months after getting remarried to his third wife. This would be the last voyage before he would be able to retire to his house.
After being on sail Chase met Herman Melville, a man whose whaling career was just beginning. Melville might be new to whaling but he had already heard stories of the Essex. While being on sail and receiving letters about what was going about home and finding out that his wife gave birth to a son, Chase decided to file for a divorce when he got back. After getting divorced, Chase married his fourth wife Susan Coffin Gwinn. But now Chase was retired and he would spend the rest of his life at home with his wife and five kids.
The rest of the men had really changed their lives. Ramsbell served as captain of the General Jackson, he was married twice, and had a total of sex children. Nickerson got tired of the whaling life and decided to become a captain in the Merchant service in New York, where he lived with his wife Margaret. Lawrence served as captain, had seven children, and he retired for whaling business and purchased a small farm on the end of the island of Nantucket. Weeks and Wright continued as crewmembers. Wright was lost at sea in a hurricane. Weeks retired to Cape Cod where he would outlive all the Essex survivors.
After changing their lives and starting over, the men started to die. Charles was first, followed my Owen Chase, then George Pollard, next Nickerson, and then Benjamin Lawrence.
Years later, a small chest was found that Captain Pollard used to store papers. This chest was later donated to the historical association.
All that remained on the whaleship was a battered box and a ragged piece of string.
I agree with what Philbrick had to say. Although mistakes were made, without those mistakes things wouldn’t be the same. This event has shaped us the way we are.
Nice job!
DeleteIn chapter 11, the men are now starving to death and are struggling to stay alive. Pollard makes a decision to turn towards cannibalism and the men start eating lawson. Although the men are very upset about what they have done to their ship mate they did it to stay alive. Pollard decided to do a lottery to see who would die to be eaten next for the others survival. At the end there was a total of 5 deaths in chapter 11.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 12, many more deaths happen there are a total of 3 in the end. Although many things went wrong in this chapter there were a couple things that went well. Such as the chases crew was rescued by a ship from london called the indian, also the other 2 boats were saved in the end of this chapter.
In chapter 13, the chapter was about the crew making it home back to Nantucket and getting cheers from the crowds as they came home from the long, hard journey. There was money raised for the Essex survivors and in return many wanted to known about the long journey of the Essex whale ship journey. Pollard stayed and came back to Nantucket two months later.
In chapter 14, both pollard and chase decide to return to the sea where their worst nightmares laid. On pollards second voyage being the captain he wrecks the boat "the two brothers" although chase has a fantastic voyage and returns with 2,000 barrels of whale oil.
In the epilogue they go looking for the Essex wreckage and only find a piece of twin from the wreckage. This village is now a very touristy place to visit.
It's touristy and very expensive. Hoity toity! :)
DeleteIn chapter 11 the crew was running out of food. Hendricks and his crew suggested that they should eat instead of burying the body. Lawson Thomas was the next to die after Mathew Joy. The crew chopped him up and ate him. The crew was sad that they were eating their friend but it was for survival. Chases crew also turned to cannibalism after Peterson died. On Pollard’s boat the cast lots to see who would be killed and be eaten by the crew and it was Owen Coffin.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 12 more people are dying and being eaten. Isaac Cole is losing his mind and all hope of surviving. He then dies the next day and I’m pretty sure he was eaten too. A few days later they were rescued. The whaleboat called the Indian found them. Pollard’s boat was also rescued by a ship called the Dauphin.
In chapter 13 people heard about what happened to the Essex and donated money. Chappel, Weeks, and Wright were rescued by the ship called Surry. The crew left for Nantucket and when they got there it was silent. Pollard had to talk to the owners of the Essex what had happen to the ship. Pollard also had to tell his aunt about Owen Coffin. This was hard for her and himself because they both loved him dear.
In chapter 14 Pollard was offered to be the captain of the Two Brothers. Pollard wrecks the ship but is rescued by a ship called Martha. Pollard had said that lightning never struck in the same place twice. Turns out that’s not true. Pollard stopped sailing and became a watchman. Ramsdale and Lawrence became boat captains, Nickerson moved to New York, and Chappel returns to London. Weeks and Wright became crew members on the Surry. Wright was lost at sea when a hurricane hit. Weeks retired to Cape Cod. Chase dies of old age. A book called Moby Dick was a story written by Herman Melville it’s based on a true story of the Essex.
I agree with the summary because the wreckage was a devastatingly sad tragedy and I have never said this once in my life but it is one of the best stories written and told.
What a nice last paragraph. ;)
DeleteCannibalism is a terrible thing to have to resort to. I would never do that and would rather starve instead. It is so ironic that they were trying to avoid being eaten by cannibals the thought lived on Pacific Islands, but then ended up being cannibals instead. Now, the remaining crew of the Essex has no more food, not even the people who died. Charles Ramsdell says they should cast lots among the rest of the remaining crew to see who would be executed for the others to eat. The lot fell on Owen Coffin, and ironically, the one set to execute Coffin was Charles Ramsdell.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was looking at the map, where the ship crashed the whaleboats were close to land. Later, when the whaleboats became separated they crossed paths without even knowing. Finally, after going through the worst conditions anyone can, Chase and his boat crew was rescued by the whaleship Indian. Five days later, Pollard and his crew were saved by a different whaleship. Both crews were later taken back to Nantucket. Interestingly, the only people that survived this disaster were all Nantucketers.
When the whaleship Indian initially rescued Chase’s boat, they were afraid they had deadly diseases. The crew members told their rescuers their full story and brought on board. The crew of Dauphin did not ask any questions and just brought Pollard and the remaining crew on board. Later, the crew members who had stayed on Henderson Island were rescued by the Surrey. Chase arrived in Nantucket first so he had to tell the story to the town which was joyful that they had returned. When Pollard finally made it back to Nantucket, people just stared at him and didn’t even give him a handshake. The townspeople were still in shock after hearing Chase’s story. I would definitely be in shock too because no one could ever imagine the terrible events that occurred.
Many months later, the crew of the Essex had regained their strength and some of them went back into the whaling business. Pollard is given a new Captain’s position on the Two Brothers but the ship had bad luck too when it hit some rocks and sank. Everyone onboard survives because there was another ship close by but this ended Pollard’s whaling career. First mate Owen Chase had a difficult personal life but had a very successful career in the whaling industry. He was married four time. His first two wives died in childbirth, and then the third wife cheated on him.
Herman Melville is the writer of the family book “Moby Dick.” He came up with the story when he met William Henry Chase, Owen Chase’s son on a whaleship. William gave Melville a copy of his father’s story, and that story had a strong impact on Melville. The first person to die of natural causes was Charles Ramsdell. People knew him as Coffin’s executioner. That is not how I would want to be remembered. Later in his life, Owen Chase was judged to be insane because of terrible headaches he had about his neck and died a few years after Ramsdell. Finally, the Essex’s captain, George Pollard, who people had grown to respect on the island passed away and was remembered for being a good and worthy man. The last of Nickerson’s crewmates to die was Benjamin Lawrence. After he died, the piece of twine that Lawrence kept during the during the voyage was donated to a local museum.
I do agree with Nathaniel Philbrick that this story was a tragedy in that these men were wandering the open sea as if in a massive desert with only their hope. If Pollard had been a more effective leader then maybe more could have been saved by reaching land sooner. I think it is a great story about how strong hope can be in keeping a person alive and moving forward. When people lose hope, death and sadness results.
Nice job of going beyond the text to THINKING about the text. :) :) :)
DeleteIn Chapter 11, the crew is faced with cannibalism. Just like a couple of other classmates said I think It is ironic that the men avoided other Islands because they feared and were scared that the people living on the islands would be cannibals. But in the end that’s exactly what they became. It’s kind of interesting to see how chase changes throughout the voyage. In the beginning he was this big strict ordering guy and towards the end he was a nice genuine guy giving the crew hope and telling them not to give up. He also increased the rations because he saw many guys suffering. Chase changes from being a strict disciplinarian to a leader who offers encouragement to his crew. Playing the lottery and “the killing game” had to be the most frightened moment of their lives. I couldn’t imagine getting picked to be killed for others to eat. What really blows my mind is why Owen Coffin accepted his fate? I would never be able to do that in a million years. In Chapter 12, chases boat spots a boat. Hours before, Nickerson gave up hope and curled up in the corner ready to die. When they saw The Indian shipped coming their way everybody including Nickerson was filled with excitement and they started racing as fast as they could trying to catch up to the ship. The three left on Chases boat were chase, Nickerson, and Lawrence. They were all rescued and were in so bad of shape they couldn’t even stand up to get onto the big ship. Later in the chapter, we learn that Pollard and Ramsdell are rescued by the crew of the Dauphin.
ReplyDeleteThe Homecoming in Chapter 13 tells about the rescue of Chappel, Weeks, and Wright from Henderson Island. The three crew members that stayed behind. We also learn that Obed Hendricks, Joseph Weeks and William Bond died at sea. Their ship was found washed up on shore off a nearby island. I don’t know why they didn’t stay at Henderson Island because they already didn’t have navigational equipment and they were low on food too. I feel bad for them because they were treated unfairly. The townspeople experience both joy and grief.. Pollard had a difficult time explaining to his aunt why her son was dead. Before leaving port she made him promise to her that he would keep Owen safe. The worst thing about it was that he died for the others to live. I don’t think I would ever be able to watch a family member die and then have to eat him. He also had many interviews about what happened and why the ship was gone. No doubt Pollard had the worst of them all. Pollard eventually became captain of the ship Two Brothers. I don’t understand why after all that happened he was going to go back into sea. Chase also had a hard time because people gave him grief for writing accounts about what happened on The Essex ship.
ReplyDeleteFinally, in Chapter 14, we learn what happened to all the men. Captain Pollard's ship ran into a coral reef and the ship began to sink. They had to escape in the little whaleships. Pollard had said “lightning never struck in the same place twice.” He found out the hard way that it isn’t true. I feel bad for him because he was just an unlucky man and nobody would ever trust him again. His whaling career ended and he became a night watchman. Chase had a successful career as a ship captain bringing in over 2,000 barrels of oil for many ships. Although he was very successful at sea it was very difficult back home. He went through about five wives because they all died and he had about six kids that he eventually had to stay home and take care of. Charles Ramsdell and Benjamin Lawrence became ship captains before retiring. They were both very successful. Herman Melville wrote Moby Dick which is based on the true story of the Essex.
The Epilogue describes how much Nantucket has changed from a fishing village to a ghost town and then to a tourist town. Philbrick notes that the story of the Essex is troubling and complex. Many different people have many different stories of what happened because each person was trying to make themselves look like the hero or the good guy. He says the story is a tragedy. The book was a very sad book but it was very action packed to. It was also crazy to think that the only thing that made it through the crash was the piece of twine.
I agree about the twine. And to think, if you ever visit up there, you can go in a museum and see it. :)
DeleteIn chapter 11,”Games of Chance”, the men are struggling to stay alive and they are running low on food. Pollard decides that he and his crew should turn toward cannibalism and they start to eat Lawson to stay alive and survive. Pollard also decides to create a lottery to make another person die for their survival. They chose Owen Coffin.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 12, “In the Eagle’s Shadow“, more of the rest of the me are dying and being eaten. On top of this, Isaac Cole is going crazy and is in all hope of surviving, but soon later he dies. Time goes on and one of the crew members sees a sail. They head toward a london boat called the indian and get rescued. Later on, Pollards boat is also rescued by a boat called the Dauphin.
In chapter 13, “Homecoming“, the crew makes it back home to Nantucket. Money was raised for the Essex survivors. The people of Nantucket wanted to know what had happened on their long, hard journey. Pollard had to talk to the owners of the Essex and tell them what had happened. Pollard also had to visit Owen Coffins aunt to tell her the bad news of what happened to him.
In chapter 14, “Consequences“, Pollard was offered to be the captain of the Two Brothers. Chase and Pollard go back to sea. On his second voyage, he wrecks the ship and Pollard is rescued by a ship named Martha. Pollard quits sailing forever. Chase on the other hand is successful and comes back with 2,000 barrels of whale oil. He also gets married 4 times and has 5 children. He eventually dies of old age. Thomas eventually retired the whaling life and became a captain in the merchant service in Brooklyn, New York, where he and his wife, Margaret, lived for a number of years.
The epilogue is a summary of the journey of the Essex and we learn that the only item found from the Essex wreckage was a piece of twine.
Nice summary, but tell me more of your thoughts in class!
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