GREATER VALLEY SCHOOL, GREATER NOIDA

ENGLISH CLASS XII (21-22)

DEEP WATER- William Douglas

Summary
The narrator developed an aversion to water at a young age

The narrator recalls a horrific incident that happened when he was 10 or 11 years old. He had decided to learn
swimming, so the YMCA pool gave him an opportunity, as it was safe. It was only two or three feet at the
shallow end and, it was 9 feet deep at the other end, the drop was gradual. In comparison, the Yakima river was
treacherous. The narrator's mother continually warned him against it. She kept reminding him about the details
of each drowning incident in the river. The narrator developed an aversion two water at the age of 3 e or 4 when
his father took him to the beach in California. The waves knocked him down and swept over him. He was
buried in water and was breathless. He was terrorised by the strong force of the waves but his father had only
laughed.

The Misadventure
The introduction to the pool revived the narrator’s unpleasant memories and stirred his childhood fears. Still he
tried to learn swimming by imitating the other boys. He was just beginning to feel at ease in the water when a
mishap occurred. He went to the pool one day and found that no one else was there. He was timid about going
alone. So, he sat on the side of the pool to wait for others. Just then a big bully came. He was quite muscular.
He picked up Douglas and threw him into the deep end of the pool. Douglas landed in a sitting position,
swallowed water, and went at once to the bottom.

Douglas Tried to Save his Life

The narrator was frightened, but not frightened out of his mind. He made a plan to save himself. When his feet
would hit the bottom, he would make a big jump, come to the surface, leaflet on it and peddle to the edge of the
pool. However, the nine feet down seemed more like 90 to poor Douglas.
He was totally out of his breath when his feet touched the bottom. Still, with all his strength, he made a spring
upwards. He came up slower than he had thought. He opened his eyes and saw nothing but water. He started to
panic. Douglas was suffocating and tried to yell but no sound came out.
A Sheer, Stark Terror
Then he came up to the surface and started beating the surface of the water. She tried to read but swallowed
water and Douglas tried to bring legs up, but they hung like dead weights. A great force was taking him to the
bottom of the pool.
He had lost all his breath. His lungs ached and head throbbed. But he remembered his strategy. He opened his
eyes and saw nothing but water with a yellow glow. A Sheer,stark terror seized him-terror that knew no
understanding, terror that knew no control, at terror that only the one who had experienced it ,could understand.
He was shrieking underwater.
Only his heart and pounding in his head said that he was still alive. Douglas told himself that he had to
remember to jump when he reached the bottom. Hi he again jumped with all his might, but his jump went in
vain. He was still underwater. The star terror took him more tightly in its clutches.

The Fight for Survival is Lost

Douglas describes how hair paralyzed him. His arms and legs stopped moving. He trembled with fright. He
tried to call his mother, but nothing happened. Suddenly, Douglas found himself coming out of the water. He
sacked for air and water . Then he started going down for the third time. Then all his efforts seized and his body
went limp. A blackness over his brain which wiped out fear and terror. Everything went quiet and peaceful.
Douglas felt as if he was wrapped in his mother's arms. Then he fell unconscious. The next thing he remembers
was lying on his stomach beside the pool, vomiting.

The Terror Destroyed Douglas' Social Life he tried to Overcome it

Douglas can't eat that night. He was weak and trembling. He shook and cried on his bed. He never went back to
the pool. He filled water and avoided it whenever he could. Whenever he went near water that terror seized him
in the pool would return to haunt him. The fear paralyzed him.
This handicap stayed with him as years rolled by. It ruined his fishing trips and deprive him of the joy of
canoeing, boating and swimming. He tried his best to overcome this fear, but it didn't let go of him.
Finally, Douglas decided to get a swimming instructor. He went to a fool and practiced 5 days a week, an hour
each day. The instructor put a belt with a rope around Douglas.

This rope went through a pulley. The instructor held on to the other end of the rope. Each time the instructor
relaxed his hold on the rope and Douglas went under, some of the old terror returned and threw his legs. It took
him three months to get over this year. Then the instructor taught him to breathe while swimming. Next he
taught him to move his legs. Thus, piece by piece, bit by bit, he built a swimmer out of Douglas.

Douglas will to live grew in intensity

After the training was finished, Douglas wondered if he would be terrorised when he would be alone in the
pool. He tried, tiny vestiges of the old terror did return, but now he was not afraid. Douglas was still not
satisfied. So, he went to lake Wentworth in New Hampshire and swam 2 miles across the lake. When Douglas
was in the middle of the lake, put his face under and saw nothing but bottomless water.
The old sensation came back to haunt him. But this time the glass was strong. He swam on. Yet he had some
residual doubts. At first opportunity, to the warm lake. He swam to the other shore and went back. He was
thrilled with joy, as he had conquered his fear of water. The experience had a deep meaning for him.

The explains that death was peaceful but it was the fear of death that cripples a person. Fear quotes President
Roosevelt saying, "all we have to fear is fear itself "because he had experienced death and the terror that it could
produce, his will to live somehow grew in intensity.

SYNOPSIS:

1. Developed aversion to water

 1.1 3 to 4 years old; father took him to a beach in California
1.2 Waves knocked him down
1.3 Swept over him
1.4 Fear of water sets in

2. Yakima River
2.1 Dangerous
2.2 Mother - warned him against it
2.3 Kept fresh in his mind - each drowning in the river

3. Misadventure at Y.M.C.A. pool

3.1 shallow end is 2-3 feet deep; 9 feet at deep end
3.2 An 18 year old bully tossed him in the deep end
3.3 Douglas’ plan (strategy) - when he hits bottom of pool - he would jump and come to the surface
3.4 Went 9 feet down
3.5 Failed to rise, suffocated, lungs ached, head throbbed, fear-stricken
3.6 Went down 3 times
3.7 Became unconscious, nearly died

4. Effect/Impact of Fear:
4.1 Ruined his fishing trips
4.2 Deprived him of joy of canoeing, fishing, boating, and swimming

5. Hired an instructor to overcome his fear of water:

5.1 Practiced 5 days a week - 1 hour each day
5.2 Used belt and rope to teach swimming
5.3 first just helped him float on the surface of water
5.4 Taught to exhale underwater and inhale above water
5.5 Taught different strokes - crawl stroke, breaststroke, side stroke, and backstroke

6. Tested himself:
6.1 Went to Lake Wentworth in Hampshire - swam 2 miles to Stamp Act Island
6.2 Went up to Meade Glacier to swim in warm lake near Gilbert Peak
6.3 tiny vestiges of fear re-surfaced
6.4 challenged ‘Mr. Terror’ and finally overcame it

SHORT- ANSWER QUESTIONS:

1) What was the ‘misadventure’ that William Douglas speaks about in the beginning of the story?
 Went along with his father to California beach when he was three or four years old
 Waves knocked him down and swept over him
 Was buried in water
 Developed a phobia for water
 2) What ‘misadventure’ happened with William Douglas at the YMCA pool?
 An 18 years old bully threw him in the deep end of the pool
 Despite repeated attempts, he kept going down the water
 A near death experience

3) What were Douglas’ feelings when he was thrown into the pool?
 Was frightened, but not yet frightened out of his wits
 Nine feet, while drowning, seemed like ninety
 Still made a strategy to jump up with all the force after touching the base of the pool

4) Why was the writer’s second attempt to come out of the pool unsuccessful?
 Felt paralyzed under water- stiff, rigid with fear
 Could not move his arms or legs
 Even the screams in his throat were frozen
 Still he tried to jump up with whatever strength was left in him but failed again

5) What was Douglas’ last memory in the pool?

 All effort ceased in the end
 Legs felt limp
 Blackness swept over his brain
 No more panic
 Quiet and peaceful
 Felt as if he was in the tender arms of his mother, wanted to sleep

6) How did the near drowning incident in the pool affect Douglas?
IMMEDIATE EFFECTS-
 Felt weak, trembling as he walked back home
 Shook and cried as he laid on the bed
 Could not eat that night
 Haunting fear gripped him for days
AFTER EFFECTS-
 The haunting fear ruined his fishing trips
 Deprived him of the joy of canoeing, swimming, boating
 Could not enjoy his holidays with his friends or relatives

7) Why did Douglas determine to get over his fear of water when he grew older?
Some points as above.
 The haunting fear ruined his fishing trips
 Deprived him of the joy of canoeing, swimming, boating
 Could not enjoy his holidays with his friends or relatives

LONG- ANSWER QUESTIONS:

1) How did the instructor build a swimmer out of Douglas?

Para-1:
 Briefly talk about the phobia that he developed in the near drowning incident at the YMCA pool
 To get rid of this fear, he hired an instructor
 Para-2:
Describe the instructor’s training in detail
 Practiced 5 days a week - 1 hour each day
 Used belt and rope to teach swimming
 first just helped him float on the surface of water
 Taught to exhale underwater and inhale above water
 Taught different strokes - crawl stroke, breaststroke, side stroke, and backstroke
 In this way step by step, the instructor built a swimmer out of him

Para-3:
Talk about the residual fear and how Douglas overcame it
 Was still under confident of swimming alone
 Went to different water bodies to test himself
 The same horrifying fear re-surfaced a bit
 challenged ‘Mr Terror’ and overcame it

2) How did Douglas know that he had finally conquered his fear? What was the lesson that the writer
learned during his lessons in swimming and his conquest of the fear of it?
Para-1:
Very briefly talk about how the instructor helped Douglas, but he still had his residual doubts

Para-2:
Describe his own efforts in detail
 Went to Lake Wentworth in Hampshire - swam 2 miles to Stamp Act Island
 Went up to Meade Glacier to swim in warm lake near Gilbert Peak
 tiny vestiges of fear re-surfaced
 challenged ‘Mr. Terror’ and finally overcame it

 Para-3:
Answer the second part of the question

 Realisation that fear is one's biggest enemy

 The hurdle in ones path to success.
 Those who conquer fear live life more meaningfully.
 After overcoming his phobia, Douglas learnt to enjoy his life even more,
 Now he was confident of overcoming all the hurdles of his life without any fear

3) “All we have to fear is fear itself.” Elucidate.

Para-1:
 After overcoming his phobia, Douglas quotes Roosevelt - “All we have to fear is fear itself”
 A lesson learnt for life

Para-2:
 Instead of running away from fear - we must fight it - Douglas justifies the statement by
recounting his YMCA experience and how it impacted his adult life.
 Fear arises when there is a difference between reality and expectation
 Fear of water would raise its ugly head every time he was near water - troubled Douglas
 He decided to deal with his fear by hiring an instructor to teach him swimming - alone at pool -
tiny vestiges (remains) of terror returned occasionally
 Challenge fear - went to Lake Wentworth - laughed it off
  swam across to the other shore and back. Shouted with joy - when he experienced no fear

Para-3:
 Overcame his fear by determination, strong will-power, perseverance

4) Attempt a character sketch of William Douglas.

 Adventurous by nature
 Had a zeal for life
 courageous/bold
 Indomitable spirit to overcome his fear
 Not frightened by crisis - accepted it as a challenge
PRACTICE QUESTIONS:
1) What factors led Douglas to decide in favour of Y.M.C.A. pool? (30- 40 words)

2) Why did Douglas go to Lake Wentworth in Hampshire?(30- 40 words)

3) “At last I felt released.” Describe the efforts made by Douglas to find this moment of release from fear.
(30- 40 words)
4) Why do you think the bruiser of a boy threw Douglas into the pool?(30-40 Words)

5) “Determination and courage are the strength of a man.” Elaborate with reference to the lesson Deep
Water. (150- 200 words)

6) In the essay 'Deep Water', Douglas conveys the message that one should not accept defeat and if one
tries one can conquer one’s fear. Write a speech to be delivered in the morning assembly about the ways
one can adopt to overcome his/her fear like addressing the morning assembly after being chosen as a
prefect or fear of appearing in examination.(150- 200 words)

7) A big boy pushed Douglas into the deep end of swimming pool which could have led to his death.
Concerns regarding bullying and ragging still continue in many teenage groups. Discuss the problem of
bullying and its effect on the victim. Also, suggest ways to deal with this problem.(150- 200 words)

QUESTIONS BASED ON EXTRACTS:

1) “This handicap stayed with me as the years rolled by.”

 Who is the speaker?
 What is the handicap being talked about in the given lines?
 How did this handicap affect him?
 How did he overcome the handicap?

2) “Trying to scare me, eh? Well, here’s to you! Look!”

 Who is trying to scare whom?
 Where is the speaker presently?
 What does the speaker want the listener to ‘look’ at?
 What character trait of the speaker is reflected through the above lines?