SHRI RAM GLOBAL SCHOOL, WHITEFIELD
CHAPTER: WE ARE NOT AFRAID TO DIE IF WE CAN ALL BE TOGETHER
GRADE: 11
CHAPTER AT A GLANCE
We are not afraid to die if we can all be together summary tells about the extreme bravery and
skill exhibited by Gordon Cook. Gordon Cook’s family and crewmen in a war with water and
the waves for existence. In the month of July in the year 1976, the writer, his wife Mary, his son
Jonathan and his daughter Suzanne set sail from Plymouth, in England to duplicate the round-
the-world journey made 200 years ago by Captain James Cook. They took the trip in their
professionally designed ship, named the Wavewalker, accompanied by 2 sailors. Larry Vigil,
who was an American and Herb Sailor, a Swiss, to tackle one of the world’s coarsest oceans –
the Southern Indian Ocean.
The first portion of the journey that is about 1,05,000 kilometres up to Cape Town passed off
very enjoyably. On the 2nd day out of Cape Town, they started to encounter strong windstorms.
Windstorms did not worry about the narrator. But the height of the waves was alarming up to
fifteen meters above that was as high as the mainmast. On the 25th of December, the writer’s
ship reaches in the southern Indian Ocean that was about 3,500 kilometres to the east of Cape
Town. The family welcomed the New Year on the ship.
At the dawn of 2nd January, the waves were huge in size. Unfriendly weather and massive
waves forced the sailors to slow the speed of the ship, drop the storm jib and take various other
precautions. The risk was so obvious that the sailors accomplished a life-raft drill, attached the
lifeline boats and the life jackets. Unexpectedly at 6 pm, a terrific explosion shook the
Wavewalker and the writer was thrown overboard. The Wavewalker was about to overturn when
another massive wave hit it throwing it upright one more time. The writer was thrown back again
on the deck, his head and ribs were smashing touching the walls of the Wavewalker. In spite of a
lot of injuries, the writer took charge of the situation and decided to handle it on his own. Larry
and Herb started pumping out water from the ship.
The author somehow managed to cover the canvas across the gaps to stop the water from
entering into the ship. Moreover, their hand pumps stopped functioning and the electric pumps
short-circuited at the same time. Luckily, the writer found a spare electrical pump that was in a
working condition. The entire night everyone was pumping, steering, repairing and sending radio
signals for help. The author checked the charts and found that He Amsterdam, a French scientific
base was their last hope.
Sue and Jon got heavily injured. But, they were not afraid to die if they were all together. Sue’s
head got swelling and she was having a deep injury. Moreover, the writer became extra
determined to see the courage of his children. Finally, they were able to touch the lie Amsterdam.
It was a volcanic island where 28 inhabitants were ready to receive them.
CONCLUSION
To sum up, we are not afraid to die if we can all be together summary, we can say the collective
power of unity and the never-failing confidence of the sailors made it possible for them to
survive and come out from the jaws of death.
The theme of "We are not afraid to die" is about the human spirit and the ability to face danger
and adversity with courage and determination. In the story, the crew of the boat faces many
challenges and dangers, including a massive storm and the possibility of sinking in the middle of
the ocean.
MORAL: We Are Not Afraid to Die Notes emphasizes bravery, perseverance, and the value of
human connections during crises, making it a powerful testament to the strength of the human
spirit.
NCERT SOLUTIONS
1.Describe the mental condition of the voyagers on 4 and 5 January.
Ans: On January 4, the voyagers felt relieved as they were continuously pumping out water for
the past 36 hours and only a few centimetres of water was left. They had their first meal in two
days. Mary found some corned beef and cracker biscuits. Later, around 4 pm, the weather
changed as black clouds marched towards them. The wind was now 40 knots and the sea was
getting higher. The weather got worse and by the early morning of January 5, the situation was
bad. This gave them mental stress.
2. Describe the shifts in the narration of the events as indicated in the three sections of the
text. Give a subtitle to each section.
Ans:
The first section: Beginning of the Round – the – Voyage
The first section was cheerful and full of hope as the family began their planned voyage just like
the one done 200 years ago by the famous Captain James Cook. They had perfected their
seafaring skills for 16 years. They built a ship ‘Wavewalker’ professionally which was a 23
metres long, 30 tons wooden-hulled ship. They celebrated Christmas on the ship despite the bad
weather.
The Second Section: the struggle with the big attack
This section changed from cheerful to intense. The family was under great pressure to survive
the oncoming waves and bad weather conditions. A giant wave created chaos and the ship was
about to overturn. The narrator was thrown off into the water and he almost drowned and got
injured. Along with two hired crewmen, the narrator pumped out the water from the ship for a
continuous 36 hours. He also tried repairing the parts of the ship. He almost lost his hope and
believed they would die. But his children were fearless and courageous enough which gave him
the determination to fight back.
The third section: Victory
With the support of his children, the narrator kept trying to save the ship in order to reach the
two small islands, lle Amsterdam. They finally reached their destination and got help from the
inhabitants of the island. His son called him the best daddy and best captain.
3. What difference did you notice between the reaction of the adults and the children when
faced with danger?
Ans: There was a huge difference between the reaction of the adults and the children. The adults
lose their hope at the end and wait for their fate of death. On the other hand, the children were
hopeful and gave the narrator moral support. With the support of his children, Jonathan and
Suzanne, he decided to make it to the island at any cost. The children showed maturity. His son
expressed courage as to how he wasn’t afraid to die if they all were together. His daughter made
him a card expressing her love and affection towards her parents and wrote a beautiful message.
She was injured still, she didn’t let it become a hurdle for her parents who were trying to save
the ship.
4.How does the story suggest that optimism helps to endure “the direst stress”?
Ans: Optimism is the determination to overcome any challenges. Without optimism, it is
impossible to face difficulties and solve problems. The family fought with the sea with great
optimism and determination which ultimately saved them. Again and again, on being attacked by
the sea, they didn’t stop trying which helped them get to the shore of the lle Amsterdam island.
When the son of the narrator told him,” we aren’t afraid of dying if we can all be together — you
and Mummy, Sue and I”. This showed the maturity of the children and how they played an
important role in motivating the narrator who had almost lost hope. Sue, his daughter who made
him a card showed how she was proud of her parents and didn’t make a big deal of her injuries
which were in a bad condition. With the struggles and efforts, they finally made it to their
destination.
5.What lessons do we learn from such hazardous experiences when we are face-to-face with
death?
Ans: Life is never about being happy all the time. We are constantly tested and how we tackle
every problem and rise through it is the ultimate lesson. Such hazardous situations teach us how
we should react towards them. We must never lose hope and keep trying as it will lead to
success. In certain situations, one must keep calm and think logically. No matter how bad the
situation is, there is always a way to get out of it. Significance of being extra cautious and
making sure that the situation doesn’t get worse is required at such moments.
6. Why do you think people undertake such adventurous expeditions in spite of the risks
involved?
Ans: The willingness to accept challenges drives people to take such adventurous expeditions in
spite of the risk involved. People like to try different elements of nature and some do it as a
passion. Surely people already know of the risks involved in such activities, but still, they do not
hesitate to try it out.
EXTRA QUESTIONS (IMPORTANT)
1.How did the narrator and his companions save the boat from sinking?
Answer: The narrator’s ship was greatly damaged by the waves. He somehow made it to the
cabin to see his children and see if they were all right. Then he did some repairs to the boat to
save them from drowning. It became almost impossible to work in the big waves, but he did
some repairs that obstructed further water from entering the boat. The crewmen were pumping
out the water like madmen. The electric pumps got short-circuited due to the water. Luckily, the
narrator found a hand pump, and it kept working. For the next 36 hours, they kept pumping,
steering, and getting radio signals. The next day, they almost got the water in the boat under
control, and the weather got a little better too. Thus, they saved the boat from sinking.
2. What difference did you notice between the reactions of the adults and the children when
faced with danger?
Answer 23: Adults are more thoughtful than children. They have more responsibilities than
children, too. On the other hand, the children are pure human beings with no experience of grief
or fear. This is why adults are more horrified by any difficult situation, whereas children do not
understand the complexities of the situation and accept it easily.The reflection can be seen in the
story as well. The narrator and his wife thought their end was near, and we can see the narrator
went through huge mental pressure and tension in the situation. He had the responsibility of
saving his family. He was scared at one point. On the other hand, the children showed great
bravery. The little boy, Jonathon, told his father he wasn’t afraid of death.
On the other hand, Suzanne, who was only nine years old, tolerated the pain of the head bump.
She even made a card for her parents so that they might feel better. Thus, the children were more
spontaneous than the adults in difficult situations.
3.How does the story suggest that optimism helps to endure “the direst stress”?
Answer : Hope is a great influencer. Even in the darkest of circumstances, hope keeps us alive.
Human beings are stronger than they think and smarter than they believe. Sometimes, fighting
the odds may lead to winning. For this purpose, men must stick to their faith and beliefs.
Optimism is greatly needed because, without it, we cannot face any hard situation. If we think
we are lost before losing, we can never succeed. The story reflects the same. Even in the direst
distress, the voyagers did not lose hope. They saved their boat and kept sailing with all their
energy. Though it seemed the boat might drown, they kept pumping the water out. At the same
time, the narrator did his best calculations to reach an island. Finally, they reached the island
and, thus, completed their voyage. Without optimism, they could never do that.
4. Why do you think people undertake such adventurous expeditions despite the risks
involved?
Answer :People are adventurous. They have a keen interest in seeing the unseen and knowing
the unknown. Since ancient times, they have taken part in expeditions despite the risks. They
have conquered fear and placed curiosity over fear. Thus, though many of the explorers
continued their journeys until their last day, , without the expeditions, we could never know our
world properly. Every explorer ended up discovering many new facts about the earth’s surface.
So, it is always learning and discovering new facts that motivate people to go on these
expeditions. In our story, we can see that the narrator’s family started the voyage to follow James
Cook’s voyage. They had immense love for the sea, which did not decrease even during the
hardest time. Thus, it is always people’s curiosity and desire to experience something out of the
ordinary that drives them to embark on such expeditions.
EXAM POINT OF VIEW QUESTIONS (TO BE PRACTISED)
1. What was the first indicator of rough weather?
2. What happened when they tried to ride over the wave?
3. How did the narrator get back to the ship after having been thrown into the sea?
4. What injuries did sue sustain? What does it reveal about her?
5. The children braved the situation more maturely than their years. Discuss.
6. Why were they desperate to look for an island? How did they manage?
7. How did they deal with the water that had gushed into the ship?
