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Term I :- (Write only highlighted vocab words and questions and answers in your copies), We are not Afraid to die… If we can All be Together :, Introduction, We are not Afraid to Die Written by Gordan Cook and Alan East, the story is about a 37 year old, businessman who is the narrator of the story. He has a wife named Mary and two children, Jonathan,, aged 6 and Suzanne, aged 7. He and his wife both dream of a voyage around the world on their ship, ‘Wave walker’ which is a 23 meter long, 30 ton wooden-hulled, just like that of the famous Captain, James Cook., The whole family started sailing from Plymouth, England on July 1976. The initial phase of the threeyear-long journey was from Africa to Cape Town. It was pleasant. While heading east, along with two, newly hired crewmen, strong waves hit them and their survival became a question. The story tells us, about how they fought each day and survived till the end., We are Not Afraid To Die Summary – The narrator and his wife plan a voyage around the world just, like famous Captain James Cook. They have been preparing and perfecting their seafaring skills for the, past 16 years. They get a ship which is 23 meters long and weighs 30 tons wooden-hulled, named Wave, Walker. They test it in the rough weather for months., In July 1976, they all start their journey from Plymouth, England. They sail from Africa to Cape Town, which was quite a pleasant journey. Before heading East, the narrator hired two crewmen, Larry Vigil,, and Herb Seigler, to help them tackle one of the roughest sea – the Southern Indian Ocean., They encounter strong and alarming waves during the second day. By December 25, they all manage to, reach 35,000 kilometers east of Cape Town. The family, somehow, manages to surpass the bad weather, and celebrates Christmas together., The weather changes for the worse and on January 2, the big waves hit them. They try to slow the ship, down by dropping storm jib and hit a heavy mooring rope in a loop across a stern but it doesn’t help, much. They carry their life-raft drill, attach lifelines, don life jackets and oilskins., Later, in the evening, a vertical and huge wave strikes the ship and the narrator is thrown off from the, ship. He accepts his ‘approaching death’ and starts losing consciousness. When the ship is about to, overturn, a huge wave hit again and turns it right back. He suffers injuries in ribs and mouth. He grabs, the guard rail and sails into the ship’s main boom., He instructs his wife Mary to guard the wheel as he realizes that the ship has water in the lower parts., His crewman starts pumping out the water. The narrator goes to his children’s cabin and checks on, them. His daughter, Sue, informs him about a bump on her head which he ignores because his major, concern is to save the ship.
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The narrator does water-proofing on the gaping holes. This makes water to deviate on the right side., The hand pump gets blocked due to debris and electric-pump gets short-circuited. However, he later, finds a spare electric pump and connects it to drain the water. They all keep pumping the water all night, long. Their Mayday calls are not answered as they are in the remotest corner of the world., Sue, on the other hand, has now a swollen black eye and a deep cut in her arm. On being asked by her, father about her injuries, she tells him she didn’t want him to worry as he was trying to save them. After, 15 hours the situation gets under control. The narrator decides to work in rotation and rests. The water, levels are controlled but the leaks were still there, below the waterline., Vocabulary words, Voyage – a long journey by sea or space, Leisure – free time, Honing – sharpen, improving, Seafaring – regularly traveling by sea, Honing our seafaring skills – improving the skills required to travel by sea, Wooden-hulled – a watertight body of a ship, Gales – A very strong wind, Mast – a tall upright structure on a boat or ship, Atrocious – bad; of a very poor quality, Gigantic – huge; of a big size, Jib – a triangular staysail set forward the mast in a ship, Knots – a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour, used especially of ships, aircraft, or winds, Enormous – a very large size, Lashed – to hit with a lot of force, Mooring – the ropes, chains, or anchors by or to which a boat, ship, or buoy is moored, Loop – a shape produced that bends round and crosses; bent, Stern – the back part of a ship or a boat, Donned – put on, wore
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Oilskins – heavy cotton cloth waterproofed with oil, Impending – about to happen, Ominous silence – unpleasant or threatening silence, Aft – near the stern of the ship, Frightful – very unpleasant or shocking, Crest – reach the top of a wave, Tremendous – very great in amount, Shook – past tense of shake (vibrate), Deck – a floor of a ship, Torrent – a fast moving stream of water, Smashed – shattered or violently broken, Capsizing – be overturned in the water, Hurled – throw with a great force, Taut – stretched or pulled tightly, Boom – pole that controls the angle and shape of the sail, Scrambled – climb; claw one‘s way, Hatch – door, Timbers – wood board used in building of a ship, Starboard – side of a ship which is on the right side when one is facing forward, Bulged – swell, Sloshed – move through liquid with a splashing sound., Bashed – strike hard; hit, Deflected: turned aside, Canvas – a strong unbleached cloth, Debris – rubbish
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Wrenched – pull suddenly, removed, Forestay – a rope to support ship‘s foremast, Dinghies – a small boat for recreation with mast or sail, Smashed – badly broken, Keel – steel structure along the base of the ship, Pinpricks – a prick caused by a pin, Pinpricks in the vast ocean – the two small islands in the vast ocean were very tiny like the prick caused, by a pin, Abated – something unpleasant to become less intense, Auxiliary engine – small secondary engine used to board ships to operate a windlass in the ship, Rigging – the ropes and wires supporting the structure of the ship, Hull – the framework of the vessel, Respite – a short period of rest, Deteriorate – get worse, Heave to – to raise or lift with effort, Paraffin – colorless flammable oil liquid, Sextant – an instrument with graduated arc of 60 degrees for taking altitudes and navigation, Caricatures – picture of a person; cartoon, Bunk – bed, Dozed off – went off to sleep, Bleak – an area of land lacking vegetation, Stark – sharply defined, Anchored – moor a ship to the sea bottom, Offshore – situated at the sea some distance from the shore, Ashore – on the shore of the land
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Optimistic – hopeful and confident, We are not Afraid to Die Question Answers:, 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., Ans: (i) the narrator decided to slow down the ship to protect it from bad and stormy weather. He, dropped the storm jib and lashed heavy mooring rope across the stern of the ship. Then, they double –, lashed everything. They carried their life-raft drill, attached lifelines, donned life jackets and oilskins., (ii) to check the flooding of the water, the narrator put waterproof hatch which covered the gaping, holes. This diverted the water flow to the side. His hand pumps were blocked due to debris and his one, electric pump was short-circuited. He found a hand pump and a spare electric pump. He connected the, electric pump to the out pipe and started it., 2. 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., 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., 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 woodenhulled 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.
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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., Talking about the Text, 1. 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., 2. 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., 3. 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.
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4. 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.p, We are Not Afraid to Die Grammar Exercises, Thinking about Language, 1. We have come across words like ‘gale’ and ‘storm’ in the account. Here are two more, words for ‘storm’: typhoon, cyclone. How many words does your language have for, ‘storm’?, Ans: In Hindi, there are many words for ‘storm’ – toofan, aandhi, andhad, etc., 2. Here are the terms for different kinds of vessels: yacht, boat, canoe, ship, steamer, schooner., Think of similar terms in your language., Ans: ‘Kashti’, ‘Naav’, ‘Nauka’, ‘Jahaz’ are some terms in Hindi., 3. ‘Catamaran’ is a kind of a boat. Do you know which Indian language this word is derived, from? Check the dictionary., Ans: The word ‘Catamaran’ is derived from the Tamil language word ‘Kattumaram’., 4. Have you heard any boatmen’s songs? What kind of emotions do these songs usually express?, Ans: Yes, Such Boatmen songs express love and nostalgia. They also express the longing to meet the, loved ones., Working with Words, 1. The following words used in the text as ship terminology are also commonly used in another, sense. In what contexts would you use the other meaning?, Ans:, Knot: a) a tangled mass in something, b) interlacing, looping, etc., Stern: harsh, firm, strict, etc., Boom – a) to experience a sudden rapid growth, b) to increase in popularity
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Hatch: a) to cause an egg to break in order to allow a young animal to come out, b) to make a plan, Anchor: a) host of an event, b) a person who can be relied upon for support, 2. The following three compound words end in -ship. What does each of them mean?, Airship: a power-driven aircraft which is kept buoyant by a body of gas, Flagship: the ship in the fleet which carries commanding admiral, Lightship: an anchored boat with a beacon light to warn ships at sea, 3. The following are the meanings listed in the dictionary against the phrase ‘take on’. In which, meaning is it used in the third paragraph of the account:, Take on sth:, , - to begin to have a particular quality or appearance; to assume sth, , Take sb on:, conflict, , to employ sb; to engage sb ,To accept sb as one‘s opponent in a game, contest or, , Take sb/sth on: to decide to do sth; to allow sth/sb to enter e.g. a bus, plane or ship; to take sth/sb on, board, Ans:, In the third paragraph, in lines “… we took two crewmen to help us tackle.. roughest seas”, the word, ‘took on’ means to take somebody or to hire somebody., Extra Questions and :Short Answer Type, Question 1., Who was the narrator? What adventurous task did he take on?, Answer:, The narrator was a thirty-seven-year-old businessman, who along with his family, set from Plymouth,, England, on a round-the-world voyage like Captain James Cook had done 200 years earlier in a 30-ton, wooden-hulled boat., Question 2., What was the first indicator of rough weather?
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Answer:, On their second day out of Cape Town, they encountered strong winds. For the next few weeks, the, gales blew continuously. The gales did not worry the narrator but the sizes of the waves were disturbing., Question 3., What ordeal awaited them on 2 January?, Answer:, After they celebrated Christmas, the weather changed for the worse. On the early morning of 2 January,, the waves became huge. As the ship rose to the top of each wave, they could see the vast sea rolling, towards them. The wind seemed to be howling., Question 4., What happened on the evening of 2 January?, Answer:, On the evening of 2 January there was a lull before the storm. As the sky grew dark, they heard a, growing roar, and saw a massive cloud rising at the rear of the ship. To their dismay, it was a huge wave,, almost twice the height of other waves, with a fearsome breaking top., Question 5., How did the narrator get back to the ship after having been thrown into the sea?, Answer:, After the narrator felt he was losing consciousness, his head suddenly popped out of the water. A few, metres away, he saw Wavewalker, nearly overturned. Then, a wave threw it upright. He grabbed the, guardrails and sailed through the air into Wavewalker’s main boom. The waves tossed him onto the, deck like a rag doll., Question 6., How did they manage to throw out water from the ship?, Answer:, With the narrator’s wife, Mary, at the wheel, the narrator half-swam, half-crawled into the children’s, cabin, where he found a hammer, screws and canvas, and struggled back on deck. He secured, waterproof hatch covers across the wide-open holes. With Herb and Larry’s assistance, he managed to, throw out the water., Question 7.
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What were the difficulties that they faced that night?, Answer:, The night was bitterly cold, and they were pumping water out of the ship, steering the ship and working, the radio. Moreover, they were getting no replies to their calls for help, as they were in a remote comer, of the world., Question 8., “But our respite was short-lived.” Why does the narrator say so?, Answer:, By 4 January, they ate their first meal in almost two days after pumping out most of the water. But their, breather was short-lived. Soon after, black clouds gathered and the wind rose to 40 knots; the sea kept, getting higher. The weather deteriorated and by dawn on 5 January, the situation turned hopeless,, again., Question 9., What instruction did the narrator give Larry? What did he expect?, Answer:, At about 2 p.m., the narrator asked Larry to steer a course of 185 degrees and said that if they were, lucky, they would see the island at about 5 p.m. He was not optimistic himself so he went below,, climbed on his bunk and slept off., Question 10., Why did the narrator feel that it was the most beautiful island?, Answer:, The narrator saw lie Amsterdam. It was an unwelcoming piece of volcanic rock, with little vegetation,, but to them it was the most beautiful island in the world because it held for them the hope of their, survival., Long Answer Type, Question 1., The narrator and his wife had longed to sail. What did they do to accomplish their dream?, Answer:
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The narrator and his wife had always dreamt of sailing. They wanted to do a round-the-world voyage, like Captain James Cook had done 200 years earlier. For sixteen years they spent all their leisure time, improving their seafaring skills in the British waters. They took a boat, Wavewalker, that was 23 metres,, and weighed 30 ton. It had been professionally built and they spent months fitting it out and testing it in, the roughest weather that they could find. Finally, in July 1976, the family set out to sail from Plymouth,, England., Question 2., “The first indication of impending disaster came at about 6 p.m.” What was the warning? What was, the disaster that followed?, Answer:, The first warning of the approaching disaster was the threatening stillness. The wind dropped, and the, sky grew dark. Then with a roar, an enormous cloud seemed to come after the ship. It turned out to be a, vertical wave, almost twice the height of the other waves, and had fearsome breaking crests. When they, tried to move over it, a monstrous explosion shook the deck. Water broke over the ship, and the, narrator’s head hit against the wheel and he was thrown into the sea. The narrator accepted his, impending death, and felt he was losing consciousness. But soon, he was tossed back into the ship like a, ‘rag doll’., Question 3., How did they deal with the water that had gushed into the ship?, Answer:, As Mary took control of the wheel, the narrator made his way towards the hatch. Larry and Herb were, pumping out water frantically. He saw broken timbers hanging, the starboard side bulged inwards;, clothes, crockery, charts, tin and toys sloshed about in deep water. So he struggled into the children‘s, cabin, found a hammer, screws and canvas, and laboured back on deck. He managed to stretch the, canvas and secure waterproof hatch covers across the gaping holes, Question 4., The children braved the situation more maturely than their years. Discuss., Answer:, The children, certainly braved the situation more maturely than their years. Sue had her head hit and, swollen, worryingly. She had two huge black eyes, and a deep cut on her arm. She did not make much of, her injuries because she did not want to worry her father when he was trying to save them. Jon, the, narrator’s six-year- old son, assured him that they were not afraid of dying if the family could all be, together.
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When Sue’s head injury worsened with her blackened eyes narrowed to slits, she held on to her spirit, and gave the narrator a card with drawn caricatures of Mary and him with the words: ‘Here are some, funny people. Did they make you laugh? I laughed a lot as well. ’ The underlying message of love and, positive hope overwhelmed the narrator. He was touched with the thoughtfulness of a seven-year-old, girl, who did not want her parents to worry about a head injury, and that of the boy who was not afraid, to die.
