We're Not Afraid To Die...

If We Can All Be Together

Summary
A dream to duplicate the round-the-world voyage

The narrator, a 37 year old businessman and his wife Mary have dreamt to voyage around the world like
the famous Captain James Cook. For the voyage, they have been perfecting their seafaring skills for the
past 16 years. They have got a professionally built, 23 metre and 30 ton wooden-hulled boat,
Wavewalker. The boat has been tested for months in the roughest of the weathers.

The beginning of the voyage

In July 1976, the narrator, together with his wife and kids (son Jonathan, 6 and daughter Suzanne, 7)
sets sail from Plymouth, England. The initial period of the three-year journey (from the west coast of
Africa to Cape Town) proves to be quite pleasant. Before heading east, they employ two crewmen,
namely, Larry Vigil and Herb Seigler to help them tackle one of the world’s roughest seas, the southern
Indian Ocean.

The second day they encounter strong winds and alarming waves. By December 25, they manage to
reach 3,500 kilometres east of Cape Town. Despite the bad weather, the family celebrates Christmas on
the boat. However, the weather worsens with the passing time.

A catastrophe- the attack of the huge wave

On the early morning of January 2, the family faces strong, mighty waves and screaming winds. They
attempt to slow down the boat by dropping the storm jib. They carry out life-raft drill and prepare
themselves for the worst case scenario by donning life jackets and oilskins.

Later in the evening, a “perfectly vertical”, huge, tremendous wave hits the deck of the boat throwing
the narrator off the boat. He accepts his ‘approaching death’ and begins to lose consciousness. The boat
is just about to overturn when another huge wave comes and turns it right back. The narrator grabs the
guard rails and sails into the boat’s main boom. He suffers injuries in his ribs and mouth.

Fight for survival

Realising that the ship had water in its lower parts, he instructs Mary to take the wheel, while Larry and
Herb pump out the water. He checks on the children in their cabin, where Sue informs him about a
bump on her head to which he does not pay much attention.

The narrator begins waterproofing the gaping holes. Most of the water now deviated to the side.
However, their hand-pumps block due to debris and the electric-pump gets short-circuited. Fortunately,
he finds a spare electric pump and connects it to an out-pipe in order to drain out the water.
They keep pumping and steering all night long. Even their Mayday calls are not answered as they are in a
remote corner of the world.

Injuries of Suzanne

Sue’s head swells, her eyes go black and has a deep cut on her arm. On being asked about her injuries,
she replies to her father that she did not want to bother him when he was trying to save them.

Desperation to reach the land

The family manages to survive for 15 hours since the wave hit the boat. The water levels are controlled
to a considerable level but they still have leaks below the waterline. They decide to rest and work in
rotations.

The wave had left Wavewalker in a considerably bad state. Since it is not in a condition to make them
reach Australia, they decide and hope to reach the nearest island, Ile Amsterdam, a French scientific
base. Unfortunately, the chances to reach the island are very slim unless the wind and seas subside.
Besides, their supporting engine had also been damaged.

January 4 and 5

After pumping out the water for 36 hours continuously, they take a sigh of relief as just a few
centimetres of water is left to be pumped out. They decide to hoist the storm jib as the main mast is
destroyed and head towards the supposed location of the islands.

Having found some corned beef and crackers, they eat their first meal in two days.

However, their relief is short-lived. The weather starts changing for the worse and by the morning of
January 5, they are again left desperate.

Courageous Jonathan

As the narrator goes to comfort the children, he is left spellbound to see the fearlessness of his son,
Jonathan, who says that he does not fear death as long as they all are together. This fills the narrator
with determination and courage to fight the sea.

The ongoing struggle

He tries his best to protect the weakened starboard side. That evening, the narrator and his wife sit
together holding hands, feeling hopeless and thinking that their end is approaching. But still with all the
moral support that he receives from his children, he continues his efforts. Fortunately, Wavewalker sails
through the storm. He works on the wind speeds in order to calculate their exact position. While he is
thinking, Sue gives him a greeting card expressing her love, gratitude and optimism.

Though he is not very convinced, he instructs Larry to steer a course of 185 degrees saying that if they
are lucky they can hope to find the island by the evening. He then goes to sleep with a heavy heart.
Ultimate victory

Fortunately, they sail on and manage to find Ile Amsterdam by evening. On being informed about this,
the narrator's joy knows no bound. Jonathan calls him the “best captain” and the “best daddy” in the
whole world. Soon, they get off-shore and struggle to reach the island with the help of its inhabitants.

Stepping on the land after such turmoil fills the narrator’s thoughts with cheerful and optimistic Larry
and Herbie; supportive Mary; a brave seven-year-old girl who did not want her parents to worry about
her head injuries and a six-year-old boy who is not afraid to die.

1. Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meaning from the context.

honing our seafaring skills

ominous silence

Mayday calls

pinpricks in the vast ocean

a tousled head

Answer

honing our seafaring skills: this refers to the efforts made by the author and his wife, to perfect or
sharpen their seafaring skills.

ominous silence: the silence here refers to an impending danger.

Mayday calls: Mayday calls are radio-telephonic words which signal aircrafts or ships stuck in a
disastrous situation.

pinpricks in the vast ocean: this phrase expresses the search for two small islands in the vast ocean.

a tousled head: this refers to hair in disarray or the disarranged hair of the author’s son, Jonathan

Page No: 18

Understanding the Text

1. List the steps taken by the captain

(i) to protect the ship when rough weather began.

(ii) to check the flooding of the water in the ship.

Answer-(i) In order to protect the ship from rough weather, the capitan decided to slow it down. So he
dropped the storm jjb and lashed heavy mooring rope in a loop across the stern. Then they doubled
fatened everything and went through their life-raft drill
(ii) To check the flooding of water in the ship, he put waterproof hatch covers across the gaping holes
which diverted the water to the side. When the two hands pump blocked and electric pump short
circuited, he found another electric pump, connected it to an outpipe and started it.

2. Describe the mental condition of the voyagers on 4 and 5 January.

Answer

On January 4 and 5, the voyagers felt relieved after rigorous practice of continuous pumping. They had
their first meal in almost two days. Their respite was short-lived. They faced dangerous situation on
January 5. Fear of deah loomed large. They were under great mental stress.

3. Describe the shifts in the narration of the events as indicated in the three sections of the text. Give a
subtitle to each section.

Answer

The first section: The first section opens on a cheerful note. The narrator and his family are all set for
their ultimate dream- to take up an around-the-world voyage like Captain James Cook did. They have
perfected their seafaring skills. They begin the voyage and despite of the bad weather, they celebrate
Christmas on the ‘Wavewalker’.

The second section: This part of narration covers the hazards faced by the voyagers. There is a shift in
the narration from cheerful to intense. They find themselves in an extremely fatal and disastrous
situation. A huge wave hits their boat and the narrator is thrown overboard. Despite getting injured, he
maintains his composure and applies every possible way to tackle the critical situation. They manage to
pump out maximum amount of water out of the boat in about 36 hours. But as they continue to face
bad weather conditions the narrator loses hope. The children remain fearless, courageous and
optimistic throughout.

The third section: The children provide moral support to the narrator and he continues with his efforts.
Under the captaincy of the narrator, they manage to reach Ile Amsterdam. The narrator proves his
seamanship and receives the title of “the best daddy” and “the best captain” from his children.

The above three sections can be subtitled as follows:

a) The first section: Round-the-world voyage begins

b) The second section: The attack of the big wave

c) The third section: Ultimate victory

Talking about the Text

1. What difference did you notice between the reaction of the adults and the children when faced
with danger?
 Answer-There was lot of difference between the way in which the adults and children reacted when
faced danger. The adults lose hope and wait for their end with a heavy heart. At this point, they are
motivated by the children. The children offer moral support to the adults. They display maturity and
tolerance. Jonathan expresses his fearlessness and courage when he says that they are not afraid of
dying if they all can be together. Sue expresses her love and gratitude for her parents by making a
greeting card. She is strong enough to not let her parents know about her serious injuries. She did
not want to bother her parents in the times of crisis.

2. How does the story suggest that optimism helps to endure “the direst stress”?

Answer

Optimism is a determination to overcome difficulties. It raises one’s spirits and helps one overcome
stress and difficulty with ease. The story displays courage and optimism throughout. Survival happens
only because of the optimistic struggle that the family carries on with.

The level of perseverance in the author rises when Jonathan says, “we’re not afraid of dying if we can all
be together. Besides, the caricatures of him and Mary, drawn by Sue, helps his determination and
optimism to grow many folds. The positive outlook of the children infuses positivity in the narrator. He
rigorously calculates their position and finally asks Larry to steer a course of 185 degrees. Though he had
lost all hope by then, he did not show it and optimistically told Larry that they would spot the island by
about 5 P.M. Fortunately, their struggle and optimism pays off and they manage to find Ile Amsterdam
by evening.

3. What lessons do we learn from such hazardous experiences when we are face-to-face with death?

Answer

Such experiences teach us the potential that courage, perseverance and tolerance hold. It explains how
one must react in the direst of the situations. It teaches us that one must never lose hope and try to find
reasons to stay positive in the face of adversity. In such situations one must try his/her best to remain
calm and composed and understand the power of unity and team work. Moreover, the importance of
common sense, putting continuous efforts to overcome the catastrophe and the significance of being
extra cautious and careful are learnt from such hazardous experiences.

4. Why do you think people undertake such adventurous expeditions in spite of the risk involved?

Answer

The spirit to experience unique elements of nature, undaunted passion and willingness to accept
challenges drive people to take up adventurous expeditions. The people who involve themselves in such
activities are very well aware of the risk involved in them. But due to their passion and enthusiasm to do
something unique and great, they willingly accept such challenges. Also, their desire to be in the lap of
nature and experience its beauty pushes them to such expeditions.
1-How did Jonathan react to the desperate situation they found themselves in on5

Th January?

- Jonathan asked his father if they were all going to die. On the father’s reassurance, he said that

they were not afraid of dying if they could all be together his dad, mom, Sue and himself.

2.How did the narrator respond to little Jon‟s words? What do his actions revealabout his

character?

-The narrator could not find any words to respond to his son’s remark. However, as he left his

children’s cabin, he was determined to fight the sea with everything he had. This shows his

courageous nature and his love for his children. He was a caring father who wanted to save hischildren
at all costs.

3.How did Sue try to enliven the gloomy atmosphere?

- Sue tried to enliven the gloomy atmosphere by trying her hand at making a card for her parents.She
had drawn their caricatures and written that she had drawn some funny people. She hadwritten that she
loved both her parents. The card expressed her heartfelt thanks to them and shehoped for the best.

4.Who do you think did the narrator call Ile Amsterdam „the most beautiful islandin theworld‟?

- The island was only a bleak piece of volcanic rock with little vegetation the author called it themost
beautiful island in the world because it had given them a ray of hope for survival. Theycould at least
anchor there and repair their ship.

5.What did the narrator think of on landing at Ile Amsterdam? Why?

-On landing at Ile Amsterdam, the narrator’s thoughts were full of Larry and Herbie, his crewmembers
who remained cheerful and optimistic throughout the hardships. He thought of his wifealso, who stayed
at the wheel for all those crucial hours. He also thought of his daughter, whohad been so brave all
through the ordeal and had not bothered about her head injury.

6.How can you say that Suzanne‟s injuries were serious?

-Suzanne’s injuries were serious because she had to undergo six minor surgeries to remove a

recurring blood clot between her skin and skull. She had also injured her arm and had two black eyes.
MESSAGE:-

The most important lesson that we learn from such hazardous experiences, when we are face-

the message is ' unity is strength' i.e. " we're not afraid to die if we all can be together".
Two messages we get from the lesson "we are not afraid to die if we all can be together",that
is: first,"When we are together, we are more stronger".