Deep Water
By- William Douglas
(Notes by Shikha Chaudhary)
Short Answer Type Questions
Q1 : What is the “misadventure” that William Douglas speaks about?
Answer : Douglas refers to the incident at the Y.M.C.A. swimming pool where he almost
drowned as a “misadventure.” The author was about ten or eleven years old at the time and had
barely begun to learn swimming, primarily by aping others. As he was thrown suddenly into the
water by someone and he couldn’t swim, he started drowning. The struggle to come to the
surface and to avoid getting drowned left him with a deep fear of water which deprived him from
enjoying water-related activities for many years.
Q2 : What were the series of emotions and fears that Douglas experienced when he was
thrown into the pool? What plans did he make it come to the surface?
Answer : The sudden realization of being thrown into the pool did not make him lose his wits
immediately. Although frightened, he thought of a trick to come up to the surface but couldn’t
execute it successfully. He panicked and felt suffocated by the water. His sense-perceptions
gave way, his heart pounded loudly, his limbs became paralyzed with fear, his mind became
dizzy and his lungs ached as he gulped water while making desperate attempts to come out of
the water.
Finally, he lost all his strength and willingness to kept struggling and blacked out. Douglas
planned to allow himself to go down till his feet hit the bottom so that could make a big jump to
come back to the surface like a cork. Then, he would lie flat on the surface of water and paddle
to the edge of the pool.
Q3 : How did this experience affect him?
Answer : The near death experience of drowning had a very strong impact on his psychology.
He was deeply perturbed and shaken by the whole experience. A haunting fear of water took
control of his physical strength and emotional balance for many years. As he couldn’t bear being
surrounded by water, he was deprived of enjoying any water-related activity.
(Understanding The Text)
Question 1. How does Douglas make clear to the reader the sense of panic that gripped him as
he almost drowned? Describe the details that have made the description vivid.
Answer: Douglas conveys to the reader the panic that gripped him as he nearly drowned. When
he was learning to swim at the Y.M.C.A. pool, he had a “misadventure.” A well-built boy threw
him into the pool. Despite his fear, Douglas was confident that he would emerge from the pool.
He intended to make a big jump as soon as his feet touched the bottom of the pool, rise to the
surface, and paddle to the pool’s edge. The pool was only 9 feet deep, but Douglas believed it
to be 90 feet deep. When his feet hit the bottom, he tried jumping with all his might, but the effort
was in vain. He began searching for rope, a ladder, and water wings. All he could see was
yellowish water all around him. He was dying of suffocation. He tried to yell, but nothing came
out of his mouth. His eyes and nose emerged from the water, but his mouth did not. Douglas
flailed at the water’s surface. His legs stiffened and became paralyzed. He had begun his long
journey back to the pool’s bottom. His lungs and legs were both throbbing with pain. He began
to feel dizzy. He couldn’t move his legs or arms. He shook with fear. He wished he could call for
assistance, but he was unable to do so.
Question 2. How did Douglas overcome his fear of water?
Answer: Douglas was determined to overcome his fear of water because it was preventing him
from enjoying the pleasures of boating, fishing, and canoeing. For months, he attended
swimming lessons. The instructor required him to put in a lot of practice time. He learned a
variety of swimming techniques. Every day, he practised for hours. After taking those swimming
lessons, he felt a little less afraid. Douglas hadn’t finished his swimming lessons yet. He went to
various lakes to practise his swimming skills. He swam from one shore to the other without
assistance.
Question 3. Why does Douglas as an adult recount a childhood experience of terror and his
conquering of it? What larger meaning does he draw from this experience?
Answer: Douglas, as an adult, recounts a childhood terror experience and his triumph over it
because the experience had a deep meaning for him. He’d been through a terrifying ordeal and
emerged victoriously. The larger meaning, he derived from his experience, is that terror exists
only in the fear of death, as Roosevelt once stated, “all we have to fear is the fear itself.”
Douglas
