We’re Not Afraid to Die..if We Can All Be Together

Chapter Summary

“We're not afraid to die if we can all be together” is a story about togetherness and its power that can help in facing any difficult situation. The skills of Gordon Cook and all of his family are presented in this story with which one can understand the power of will and how can any critical situation be handled effortlessly. In July 1976, the writer Gordon Cook, his wife Mary, son, Jonathan, daughter, Suzanne, and some of his crewmen set out on a journey from Plymouth, England. This journey’s main aim was to duplicate the round-theworld journey that was made a long ago, approximately 200 years ago by Captain James Cook. This journey was started in a professionally designed ship, namely, Wavewalker. On this journey, two sailors accompanied them. One of them was an American, Larry Vigil, and the other one was a Swiss, Herb Seigler.

List the steps taken by the captain in protecting the ship when rough weather began and in checking the flooding of the water in the ship.

In protecting the ship, the captain had decided to drop the storm jib and lashed a heavy mooring rope. This rope was hung in a loop, across the stern. All the other things were double-lashed. The members of the ship were under liferaft-drill and therefore were fully attached to the lifelines. Each of the members was put on a life jacket. At the very first stage, the front hatch was thrown open, and Larry and Herb were engaged in pumping the water out of the ship. The captain somehow managed to find canvas, hammer and some screws and headed to repair all the broken parts. The waterproof hatch covers were placed at the gaping holes that were all them to protect the ship from rough weather.

In measuring the flooding level of water in the ship, the writer firstly checked the condition of the pumps. The water line was below the level which indicated that the ship and the members both were a little out of danger at that moment. The captain also found that the boat’s main rib frames were totally smashed down. All charts and calculators were checked in identifying the nearby places.

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

The entire member’s mental condition was very poor on 4th and 5th January. The captain’s overall mental and physical attention was disturbed by being thoroughly hit by sea storms. The level of the water was reduced by continuous effort and therefore a hint of another storm had erased all hopes from those people on the 4th of January. A question of Jon, mixed with fear of death was all to shatter the mind and thoughts of the captain. The only thing was the thought of unexpected danger and the possibilities to survive. On 5th January, the captain’s mental condition worsened as more water started to enter the ship through the broken parts.

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

In each section of this text, the caption describes each significant detail of the journey. The very first section is all about the starting part of this whole journey and the starting of the difficulties as well. The second part is all about the hurdles and the efforts of each of the present members on the ship in shaving it from being drowned. In this section, the bond of the family members and the willingness to stay together and most importantly to fight together is the key aspect of this section. The third section presents the joy of surviving a critical situation and the feeling of togetherness.

The subtitle for the first section is Happiness to start a journey in exploring new things. The second subtitle is The strength of willingness and togetherness and for the third one, the subtitle is Joy in getting success together.

What difference did you notice between the reaction of the adults and the children when faced with danger?

The main difference between an adult and the children’s reaction lies within their senses. The children, by only being aware of the present danger are only concerned about that. In contrast to that, adults can foresee the possibility of future danger and react more consciously to the danger.

How does the story suggest that optimism helps to endure the direst stress?

In enduring the direst stress, the impacts of optimism are very concerning. In overcoming any crucial situation, a positive attitude and cooperating behavior is very necessary which is clearly depicted in this story. Examples of Larry and Herbie came into the captain’s mind just at the moment their ship landed on the shore.

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

In certain situations, people find themselves very close to death and at that time, the courage to act wisely is very important. In this story, the examples of all hazardous experiences by the captain and his people depict the reality of possessing willpower and its strength in facing death as well.

Why do you think people undertake such adventurous expeditions in spite of the risks involved?

In spite of the high risks, people often undertake such adventurous expeditions to feel the cheer and joy of exploring new areas. In testing, the capability of an individual’s mental and physical state of mind in any critical situation and the level of courage to handle such a situation, such experiments is very important. Risk factors are often helpful in identifying individual capability and mental strength to handle critical situations.

FAQs

Q1. What is the key concept of the story We're not afraid to die if we can all be together?

Ans. In this story, a sense of endurance is presented by depicting the story of a courageous family. This family member’s positive attitude towards the challenges is the core aspect to be noted while reading this story. This story teaches that one should not lose hope under any critical circumstances as the willpower to handle the situation is everything that is needed.

Q2. What was the reason for Jonathan, seeking a hug from his daddy?

Ans. In the difficult situation, finding an island was very necessary and the only hope for this family. As the writer was successful in finding Ile Amsterdam, Jonathan called his dad the best daddy and the best captain in the world and asked for a hug at this time.

Q3. How togetherness can bring mental strength to handle any difficult situation?

Ans. In any situation, whether difficult or non-difficult, a person may feel distressed because of the surrounding circumstances. The sense of togetherness is necessary for providing mental strength that can help any person to face the hurdle efficiently.