DEEP WATER

By William Douglas

A. Answer the following in 30-40 words each.

1. When and how did Douglas develop an aversion to the water?

Ans. When Douglas was three or four years old his father had taken him to the beach in California. They were standing together in the surf. He had held his father tightly, even then the waves knocked him down and swept over him. He was buried in water. His breath was gone. He was frightened. There was terror in his heart about the overpowering force of the waves.

2. Which factors led Douglas to decide in favor of the Y.M.C.A. pool?

Ans. Douglas was ten or eleven years old when he decided to learn swimming. He had two options: the Y.M.C.A. pool or Yakima River. He chose in favor of the Y.M.C.A. pool as it was safe. It was only two to three feet deep at the shallow end. It was nine feet deep at the other. Moreover, the drop was gradual. The Yakima River was treacherous and had drowned many. So, he decided in.

3. What two things did Douglas dislike to do at the pool?

Ans. Douglas hated to walk naked, into the pool and show his very thin legs. Secondly, he was fearful about going in alone because of his aversion to water. So, he would sit on the side of the pool to wait for others. But he had to go into water as one cannot learn swimming without going into water.

4. What is the “misadventure” that William Douglas speaks about?

Ans. William O. Douglas had just started feeling at ease with water. One day, an eighteen-year-old big boxer boy picked him up and tossed him into the nine feet deep end of the Y.M.C.A. pool. He hit the water surface in a sitting position. He swallowed water and went at once to the bottom. He nearly died in this misadventure.

5. What plans did Douglas make to come to the surface?

Ans. Douglas was frightened when he was thrown into the pool. However, he was not frightened out of his wits. While sinking down he made a plan. He would make a big jump when his feet hit the bottom. He would come to the surface like a cork, lie flat on it, and paddle to the edge of the pool.

6. How did the “misadventure” affect him?

Ans. This “misadventure” revived his aversion to water. He couldn’t eat and sleep that night. He shook and cried in his bed. He had a haunting fear in his heart. The slightest exertion upset him, making him wobbly in the knees and sick to his stomach. He never went back to the pool. He feared water and avoided it whenever he could.

7. Why was Douglas determined to get over his fear of water?

Ans. Douglas started feeling extremely frightened of water. Therefore, he could not enjoy his favorite water sports like fishing, boating and swimming. He had lost all the joy and self-confidence. He did not want to live like this anymore. So, he decided to get rid of his fear of water.

8. What special method did the instructor use to teach the writer to swim?

Ans. The instructor ‘built a swimmer’ out of Douglas bit by bit. First, he held him high on a rope attached with his belt. He went back and forth across the pool. Then he taught him to put his face under water and exhale and to raise his nose and inhale. Next, he instructed him to kick his legs for several weeks. Then after seven months he was told to swim the length of the pool.

9. How did Douglas make sure that he conquered the old terror?

Ans. Although the instructor’s job was finished but Douglas was not that he had completely overcome his fear of water. Therefore, he kept on swimming in the pool alone. He went to Lake Wentworth and swam for two miles. The terror returned only once when he was in the middle of the lake. He laughed and rebuked terror. His terror fled away, and he swam on. Thus he conquered his fear of water.

10. Explain: “All we have to fear is fear itself”?

Douglas here quotes Roosevelt to convey us that all our fears are baseless. Generally, people don’t enjoy many activities because of their fears. Douglas says that we should make efforts to remove our fear of the thing rather than compromising with not enjoying doing that thing. We should get rid of fear not the activity or the person we want enjoy with.

B. Answer the following in 150 words each.

1. How did Douglas overcome his fear of water?

Ans: The ‘misadventure’ affected Douglas so adversely that he was not able to enjoy his life fully. He had great interest in water sports, but he could not enjoy them due to his fear of water. He tried his every possible way to get rid of his fear but failed, and finally he decided to take the help of an instructor.

The instructor was extremely patient and empathetic person. He understood the gravity of the problem. Therefore, he put a belt around the waist of Douglas. The belt was attached with a rope going over a pulley that runs on an overhead cable. For the first three months Douglas went only back and forth over the water surface. Then he started putting his head under water. After that he learnt to kick his legs. Thus, piece by piece the instructor built a swimmer in Douglas. He taught every skill separately and then combined them. Finally, Douglas was able swim across the length of the pool and the instructor’s job was over.

But, Douglas, to be sure, kept swimming in the pool alone for four months. Then he went to every lake and the river. Finally, he was confirmed that he had overcome his fear of water completely.
Douglas’ never-giving-up attitude, determination and dedication brought him victory over his fear of water.