We Are Not Afraid...
We Are Not Afraid...
We Are Not Afraid...
LASTPLANT
CREATE A TIMELINE OF THE EVENTS
Exciting account of a family’s adventurous sea journey and the spirit of togetherness,
endurance, optimism and courage in a time of crisis
Describe the behaviour of the narrator and his family, particularly of his children Jon and Sue, during
the Voyage.
When the gigantic wave hit the boat the narrator was badly injured
showed his heroic qualities- did not panic-used his seafaring skills
used whatever tools available- saved all.
Little John and Sue showed their bravery…tremendous courage and stoicism
Time and again, the adults were easily dejected…lost hope, but the children remained
positive…they were fearless and filled with complete faith
did not disturb parents…Sue did not reveal her injuries, made a card with caricatures and a
lovely message
Jonathan cheered their parents up….his statement that he is not afraid….gives fresh
encouragement to the narrator
Wife and crew members worked as team- all survived.
How does the story suggest that optimism helps to endure ‘the direst stress ’?
the gigantic wave broke the boat, Wavewalker, not their spirit
sheer optimism of the narrator, his family and the crew that saved them
many moments when the narrator felt hopeless, gave up…always fought back
badly injured…hardly any food….damaged ship…cold nights…constantly pumping out
water…..no way of finding land….yet never gave up
the unwavering optimism and faith of the children…motivated the adults
all worked as a team …cheered themselves up …filled with conviction….and it paid off at the end
…they successfully reached Ile Amsterdam
Highlight the tremendous courage and stoicism shown by the two children during the struggle of the
ship to keep from sinking?
The two children Suzanne and Jonathon, who were aged seven and six respectively, showed
tremendous courage and stoicism…
Suzanne…badly injured…when the wave had hit the ship. Her head had swollen alarmingly. She
had two enormous black eyes and a deep cut on her arm…does not complain….not wanted to
worry her parents when they were trying to save them all.
When the author went in to comfort the children and his son, Jonathon, asked him if they were
going to die…goes on to reassure his father that he was not afraid of dying if they could all be
together.
That very evening the badly injured Suzanne had patience and power enough even to draw
caricatures of her parents….She had written a message also inside which said that she had loved
them both and that card was meant to say thanks to his father and hope for the best.
Such extraordinary patience, courage and tolerance shown by the small children on the face of
an enormously dangerous situation gave courage and inspiration to his parents to fight hard for
survival.
What was the object behind the writer’s undertaking the journey?
The writer undertook the voyage along with his wife in order to duplicate the round-theworld voyage
made 200 years earlier by Captain James Cook.
Describe the boat which was made for undertaking the voyage.
The name of the boat which was made for undertaking the voyage was ‘Wavewalker’. It was a 23 meter,
30 ton wooden-hulled boat which had been professionally built and the writer and his wife had spent
months fitting it out and testing it in the roughest weather they could find.
What are Mayday calls? Why was the ship getting no replies to its Mayday calls?
Mayday calls are distress signals sent through the radio by ships facing troubles in the sea for getting
help from other ships passing nearby. The ship ‘Wavewalker’ was not getting replies to its Mayday calls
because the boat had reached a remote part of the sea where other ships did not go.
What did Sue say when she was asked by her father why she had not complained much about her
grave injuries at the first instance?
Sue had been injured badly when the wave had hit the ship. Her head had swollen alarmingly. She had
two very big enormous black eyes and she had also showed to her parents a deep cut on her arm. When
asked why she had not complained about her injuries earlier she replied that she had not wanted to
worry her parents when they were trying to save them all
Comment on the mood of the sea on 2nd January 2010? How did the writer and his family and the
crewmen prepare for that?
At dawn on January 2, the waves became gigantic. As the ship of the writer rose to the top of each
wave, they could see the sea water rolling towards them and the noise made by the wind and the spray
of the wave water was painful to their ears. In order to slow the boat down, they dropped the storm jib
and lashed a heavy mooring rope in a loop across the stern. Then they double lashed everything and
went through their life raft drill, attached lifelines and wore oilskins and life jackets and waited for the
worst things to happen.
Who were Larry and Herb? What role did they play?
Crewmembers Larry Vigil was an American and Herb Seigler was from Switzerland. They were of great
help. As a team they worked with the narrator- kept pumping water out of Wavewalker till the water
level was brought under control.
Additional Questions
Short Questions: