Class 11th English

1. “We are not afraid to die….
If we can all be together”
- G O R D A N C O O K A N D A L A N E A S T
By Lokendra Singh Parihar
XI-A
Kendriya Vidyalaya no.1
[AFS] Jodhpur

2. Introduction
The narrator Gordon Cook, his wife Mary and their children, Jonathan and Suzanne
set sail on a ship to imitate the historical round-the world voyage undertaken
by James Cook in 1768. The journey began from Plymouth, England and headed
south to Cape Town, South Africa. It was expected to journey to Australia through
the endless Indian Ocean and finally return to England. Unfortunately the ship
partially wrecked in the Indian Ocean and the sailors faced death very close. The
narrative describes the near death experience of these hapless people, their
hard work, the children’s encouraging messages, their willingness to die with their
father and mother, hours of endurance and finally their reaching Ile Amsterdam, a
tiny island.

3. Characters
 The narrator = captain of the ship
 Mary = wife of the narrator
 Jonathan = six year old son of the narrator
 Suzanne = 7 year old daughter of the narrator
 Larry Vigil = American crewman hired from Cape Town
 Herb Seigler = Swiss crewman hired from Cape Town

4. Narrator and
his Family

5. Summary
 The narrative describes how optimism, determination and
strong will power raise one’s spirits and help us overcome all
forms of stressful situations.
 The narrator was a 37 years old businessmen. His dream was
to travel around the world through sea just like Captain James
Cook which he wished to complete in three years. He was
along with his wife Mary, his daughter Suzanne and his son
who was only six years old.

6. • Everything went on well till they sailed down the west coast of Africa
and reached Cape Town. The trouble started on the second day out of
Cape Town. They began to encounter strong gales. They blew
continuously for the next few weeks. Gales didn’t worry them. But the size
of the waves was alarming—up to 15 meters. They rose as high as up to
the main mast. They expected the weather to improve on the New Year’s
Day. Sadly the weather changed but for the worse.
• The family celebrated their new year on board the ship. Next came a
phase when the ship was caught in the stormy seas. The weather suddenly
became very terrible. The writer thought that their ship would ride over
the waves but were heavily caught amidst the stormy situations at the sea.
There was water everywhere and they found the ship to be sinking.

7. • The condition was extremely helpless and very pathetic. Water was
gushing in from everywhere. Debris was floating across the cabins. The
electric pump was also not working as it had short-circuited. They had to
keep pumping and steering all night long. The writer’s daughter’s head had
swollen and she had a deep injury. However, the bravery of the strong-
willed children is noteworthy in the story.
• On January 4, they breathed a sigh of relief after having survived 36 hours
of continuous pumping. However, their relief seemed to be quite short-
lived because by evening that day the sea again witnessed bad weather.
This is the turning point of the story when we see the author consoling the
children. It was quite amazing when the children said, “we aren’t afraid of
dying if we can all be together.” This led to the building energy
an enthusiasm inside a very extremely fatigued writer. He decided to heave
and fight the sea.

8. • Next day saw a very bright morning. He was welcomed by his children. They
called him the best daddy in the world. He rushed to the deck and to his
amazement, gazed at the stark outline of Ile Amsterdam. It seemed to him
to be the most beautiful island in the world.
• They anchored off shore for the night and then were welcomed by the 28
inhabitants of the island the next morning. All along, the only thing which
filled the writer’s mind was the undeterred courage which his wife Mary
showed, his daughter who didn’t worry about her head injury and his son
who wasn’t afraid of dying.

9. Difficult Word
 Voyage = a sea journey
 Set sail = started a sea voyage
 Seafaring = travelling on the sea
 Gales = extremely strong winds
 Jib = a small sail/ a triangular stay sail
 Knots = a nautical mile of 6080 feet
 Stern = back end of the ship
 Life-raft = life-boat
 Hatch = a door in the deck of a ship
 Timbers = pieces of wood
 Starboard = right side of the ship
 Canvas = a rough cloth
 Hull = frame
 Offshore = near the shore
 Rib frames = frames of wood
 Crest = top

10. Questions/Answer
Short Answer Type Questions
Q1. What preparations did the author and his wife make for their
round to the world sea-voyage?
Ans. The narrator and his wife wanted to ‘duplicate’ the round—the world
voyage made 200 years earlier by Captain James Cook. They had been
making formidable preparations for the last 16 years. First of all they got a
boat especially designed and professionally built for this purpose. It was a
23 meter, 30 tone wooden-hulled boat. They tested it for months in the
roughest weather. They were both mentally and physically prepared
to undertake their exceptionally long and challenging sea-voyage.

11. Q2. What precautions did the narrator take when huge waves struck the boat
on January 2?
Ans. Huge waves came rolling towards the boat. The howling of gales and
spray was painful to the ears. First of all, they decided to slow down the boat.
storm jib was dropped. Heavy mooring ropes were looped across the stern.
went through their life raft drill. They attached lifelines. Oilskins and life-jackets
were donned. Larry and Herb were continuously pumping out the water like
madmen.
Q3. Who were Larry and Herb? What role did they play?
Ans. Before heading east from Cape Town, the narrator employed two
crewmen. They were Larry Vigil and Swiss Herb Seigler. They were to help them
‘to take one of the world’s roughest seas, the Southern Indian Ocean. Larry and
Herb did their job quite well. When the gigantic waves struck Wave walker, they
continued pumping water out of the boat.

12. Q4. Justify the title: “We’re Not Afraid to die …”
Ans. The lesson is aptly and logically titled: “We’re Not Afraid to Die …” These
were the words of Jonathan, the son of the narrator. Like his brave father, Jon
declared that they were not afraid to die if they could be all together—Daddy
and Mummy and Sue and he. These words sum up the courage shown by the
narrator, his wife and children and, of course, the crewmen.
Q5. How can you say that Suzanne’s injuries were serious?
Ans. 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.

13. Long Answer Type Questions
Q1. What lessons do we learn from such hazardous experiences when we are face to
face with death?
Ans. Hazardous experiences may bring us face to face with death, but they impart us
many important lessons of conduct. Life is not always a bed of roses. We must react to
dangers and risks with patience and fortitude. Adversity is the true test of character. The
purity of gold is judged by putting it in fire. The hazardous experiences bring out the best
in us. Coward persons die many times before their death. Fear is a negative feeling and
leads to inactivity and abject surrender to circumstances. Such sailors or soldiers lose the
battle against the odds in life. On the other hand, persons with self-confidence, courage,
resourcefulness and presence of mind face all the dangers boldly and overcome all
disasters.
Their sharing and caring attitude inspires others also to face the adverse circumstances
boldly and tide over them.

14. Q2.How does the story suggest the optimism helps to “endure the direst stress”?
Ans. The story suggests that optimism certainly helps to endure the direst stress.
The behavior of the four adults during crisis bears it out. Larry Vigil and Herb
were two crewmen. As the mighty waves smashed the deck, water entered the ship
through many holes and openings. Right from the evening of January 2, Larry and
Herb started pumping out water. They worked continuously, excitedly and feverishly
for 36 hours. It was a result of their continuous pumping that they reached the last
few centimeters of water on January 4. They remained cheerful and optimistic while
facing extremely dangerous situations. The narrator did not lose his courage, hope
presence of mind while facing problems. He did not worry about the loss of
equipment. He used whatever was available there. His self-confidence and practical
knowledge helped them to steer out of storm and reach the lie Amsterdam island.
Mary stayed at the wheel for all those crucial hours. She did not lose hope or
either.