“Nobody Can Envy Their Fate, Indeed.” Robert Falcon Scott and Apsley Cherry-Garrard about Their Animals on the Way to the South Pole

Authors

Keywords:

ponies, dogs, South Pole, expedition, Robert F. Scott

Abstract

The article is devoted to the attitudes of Robert Falcon Scott and his expedition companions towards animals on the way to the South Pole – both the animals they brought with them on the ship “Terra Nova” and those they encountered in Antarctica. Scott took 34 dogs and 19 Manchu ponies on this arduous expedition. None of them survived. This aim is to draw attention to the human dimension of the expedition, but it becomes a contribution to the history of relationships between humans and animals in Europe just before the First World War. Analysis of the reports of Robert F. Scott and Apsley Cherry-Garrard (a member of the expedition) allows us to conclude that the explorers felt a great deal of affection for the animals. In the face of their tragic fate, they often reflected on their own guilt and mistakes. The suffering of animals was marked firmly in their minds, and the only kind of justification was their desire to enrich humanity with new knowledge.

Author Biography

Jacek Kurek, University of Silesia

Dr, historyk, kulturoznawca, eseista, poeta, animator kultury, miłośnik muzyki i  malarstwa, pedagog, wykładowca na Uniwersytecie Śląskim w  Katowicach. Jego obecne poszukiwania badawcze obejmują kulturę i  dzieje pogranicza, między innymi Śląska, Galicji w  wiekach XIX i  XX, jak również pogranicze w  znaczeniu interdyscyplinarnym: kultury, historii, estetyki, etyki, sztuki, filozofii, teologii. Zwolennik interdyscyplinarnego podejścia do nauki. Interesuje się kulturą i  dziejami Polski, Śląska, Europy, historią obyczajowości, religii, idei, zagadnieniami związanymi z  estetyką i sztuką wieków XIX–XXI. Autor lub współautor kilkunastu książek i  przeszło 250 artykułów, redaktor lub współredaktor 16 tomów prac zbiorowych, m.in. W najwspanialszej chwili naszego życia. Myśli o  Śląsku, Chorzów 2003; Dzieje zachwytu, czyli rzecz o  szkole, Chorzów 2000; tomik poezji Budzenie firanek, Chorzów 2000). Od roku 2013 redaktor naukowy „Zeszytów Chorzowskich”. Od roku 2013 prezes Stowarzyszenia Przyjaciół Uniwersytetu Śląskiego, a  także prezes Górnośląskiego Towarzystwa Przyjaciół Nauk im. W. Roździeńskiego. Autor audycji „Noc nie bez końca” emitowanej na falach Radia eM. Współzałożyciel Centrum Afirmacji Życia przy chorzowskim hospicjum. Współtwórca idei Medium Mundi. Ostatnio wydał Rock i  tożsamość. Notatki o muzyce i  wartościach (Sosnowiec 2014).

References

Cherry-Garrard Apsley. 2012. Na krańcu świata. Najsłynniejsza wyprawa na biegun południowy. Poznań: Zysk I S-Ka.

Scott Robert Falcon. [1914]. Dziennik wyprawy Kapitana Scotta. Warszawa: Biblioteka Dzieł Wyborowych.

Centkiewiczowie Alina i Czesław. 1977. Nie prowadziła ich gwiazda polarna. Warszawa: „Iskry”.

Zoophilologica – T.1 (2015) – Zwierzęce/Animalis

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Published

2015-12-23

How to Cite

Kurek, J. (2015). “Nobody Can Envy Their Fate, Indeed.” Robert Falcon Scott and Apsley Cherry-Garrard about Their Animals on the Way to the South Pole. Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies, (1), 279–294. Retrieved from https://trrest.vot.pl/ojsus/index.php/ZOOPHILOLOGICA/article/view/4815

Issue

No. 1 (2015): Zoophilologica – T.1 (2015) – Zwierzęce/Animalis

Section

ARTICLES

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