Deep Water’ is an excerpt taken from William Douglas’ autobiography ‘Of Men and Mountains‘. In this lesson, the author William Douglas talks about his fear of water and how he finally overcame it. He developed his aversion to water at the tender age of 3 or 4 when he was knocked down by the waves on California Beach. Another misadventure at the YMCA pool further aggravated his fear. This fear of water haunted him for years. Finally with the help of an instructor and his strong willpower and untiring endeavours he overcame his fear. He swam in different pools and lakes to ensure that his deep-rooted fear of water was completely eradicated. This lesson conveys the message that with courage, perseverance and a strong willpower one can turn the impossible into possible.
SUMMARY
When Douglas was ten or eleven years old he decided to learn swimming. His mother had warned him against learning swimming in the treacherous Yakima River by keeping fresh in his mind the details of each drowning in the river. He chose the YMCA pool for safety reasons. It was only two or three feet at its shallow end and the other end was about nine feet deep. Douglas had aversion to the water from the beginning. When he was three or four years old his father took him to the beach of California where a wave knocked him down and swept over him. His father took it lightly but the overpowering force of the water experienced by Douglas, terrified him. The YMCA pool revived those early fears. But soon he gathered enough confidence and started to learn swimming by imitating other boys. He had begun to feel at ease in the water when the ‘misadventure’ happened which escalated his fear.
One day he reached the pool early when no one was around. He feared to go alone in the water, so he sat at the side of the pool to wait for others. He had not been there for long when in came a big bruiser of a boy, who played a deadly prank on him. Without any warning he simply picked Douglas up and tossed him into the deeper end of the pool. Douglas landed in a sitting position and went at once to the bottom. He was frightened but not out of wits. On his way down he planned: as soon as his feet hit the bottom he would make a big jump, come to the surface, and paddle to the edge of the pool. His way down seemed endless, those nine feet were more like ninety and his lungs filled with water were ready to burst. When his feet finally hit the bottom, he mustered all his strength and made a great spring but in vain. He came up slowly, he grew panicky, he yelled for help but swallowed water instead. He was suffocating. Then his eyes and nose came out of water but before his mouth could come out a great force pulled him under again. He tried to bring his legs up but they hung as dead weights, paralysed and rigid. His lungs ached, head throbbed and he grew dizzy. He tried to jump again but his limbs would not move at all. He looked for ropes, ladders and water wings but found himself surrounded by dirty yellow water. When he went down for the third time, he gave up all his efforts. He accepted his approaching death and felt peace. He then crossed to oblivion.
On gaining his consciousness, he found himself lying on stomach beside the pool, vomiting. The terror that he had experienced in the pool haunted him for years. Whenever he went near water, the terror would seize him. His legs would paralyze and icy horror would grab his heart. The fear spoilt his expeditions of canoeing, swimming and fishing.
Finally, he decided to overcome his fear. He hired an instructor to learn to swim. He went to a pool and under the guidance and supervision of his instructor he practiced there five days a week. The instructor put a belt around him. A rope attached to the belt went through a pulley that ran on an overhead cable. He held on to the end of the rope and went across the pool. This they practised for three months. Then Douglas was made to practise to put his face under water and exhaling, raising his nose and inhale. Next the instructor held him at the side of the pool and had him kick with his legs. With continuous practice he was able to command his legs. In seven months the instructor built a swimmer out of Douglas and he was able to swim confidently in the pool. However, he was not sure if the old fear had left him completely. So he went to Lake Wentworth, dived off at Triggs Island, and swam two miles across the lake to Stamp Act Island. The old sensation returned in miniature but he was able to overcome it. To further test his swimming prowess, he went to Warm Lake and swam across to the other shore and back. This time the terror did not reappear, he emerged triumphant. He had finally conquered his fear.
His terror of water and his conquest of it gave him an insight into the meaning of life and death. He had experienced the fear of death as well as the sensation of dying, so the will to live grew up in him. The lesson conveys the message that we can overcome any fear that comes our way without letting the fear overpower us.
GLOSSARY
| Treacherous | Dangerous/deceptive |
| Aversion | Dislike |
| Revived | Brought back |
| Aping | Copying /Imitating |
| Misadventure | Accident |
| Bruiser | Bully |
| Summoned | Gathered |
| Flail | To move arms and legs in uncontrolled way |
| Oblivion | Forgetfulness |
| Exertion | Tiring |
| Wobbly | Unstable |
| Cascade | Waterfall |
| Vestiges | Remnant of something |
| Residual | Left over |
EXTRACT BASED QUESTIONS:
- It happened when I was tenor eleven years old. I had decided to learn to swim. There was a pool at YMCA in Yakima that offered exactly the opportunity. The Yakima River was treacherous. Mother continually warned against it and kept fresh in mind the details of each drowning in the river. But the YMCA pool was safe.
- Who is ‘I’ in the above lines?
Ans: ‘I’ refers to Douglas/ the author.
- Why did not mother allow ‘I’ to learn swimming in the Yakima River?
Ans: Many people had drowned in the river and she was worried of his safety.
- What opportunity was offered by the YMCA pool?
Ans: It offered him safety to learn swimming.
- How was YMCA a safe pool?
Ans: It was two or three feet deep at the shallow end and nine feet at the deeper end.
- My introduction to YMCA swimming pool revived unpleasant memories and childish fears. But after a little while, I gathered confidence. I paddled with my new water wings, watching the other boys and trying to learn by aping them. I did this two or three times on different days and was just beginning to feel at ease in the water when the misadventure happened.
- Why did he choose the YMCA pool?
Ans: He chose the YMCA pool for safety reasons.
- Which unpleasant memories were revived?
Ans: His unpleasant visit to the beach of California where he was knocked down by the waves and was almost buried in water. The overpowering force of the waves had terrorized him.
- How did he try to learn to swim?
Ans: He tried to learn by aping other boys.
- What was the ‘misadventure’ the author is referring to?
Ans: The incident of being tossed by a boy into the deeper end of the pool.
- Then all the efforts ceased. I relaxed. Even my legs felt limp: and a blackness swept over my brain. It wiped out fear; it wiped out terror. There was no more panic. It was quiet and peaceful. Nothing to be afraid of. This is nice to be drowsy…. To go to sleep….no need to jump…. It’s nice to be carried gently…..to float along in space…..tender arms around me…..tender arms like mother’s…..now I must go to sleep….
- Why did he give up his efforts?
Ans: His early efforts all went in vain and now he was too exhausted to try again.
- Why there was no more terror or panic?
Ans : He accepted his approaching death that wiped his terror and panic
- What state was the author going through?
Ans: He was going through the unconscious state of mind?
- Which word in the above lines means the same as ‘feeling sleepy’?
Ans: Drowsy
- A few years later when I came to know about the waters of the Cascades, I wanted to get into them. And whenever I did-whether I was wading the Tieton or Bumping River or bathing in the Warm Lake of the Great Rocks- the terror that had seized me in the pool would come back. It would take possession of me completely. My legs would become paralysed. Icy horror would grab my heart?
- Why was the author afraid to get into water?
Ans: He would be filled with fear, recalling his near death drowning experience at the YMCA pool.
- What would happen when he try to get into water?
Ans: Terror would take possession of him completely. His legs would become paralysed and icy horror would grab his heart.
- Icy horror would grab my heart- Identify the literary device used in the statement.
Ans: Personification.
- Pick up the word from the above lines which mean same as ’Waterfall’?
Ans: Cascades.
- I laughed and said, “Well, Mr. Terror, what do you think you can do to me?” It fled and I swam on.
- Who is addressed as Mr. Terror?
Ans: Water is addressed as Mr. Terror.
- Why did the narrator laugh?
Ans : because he was confident of defeating his fear>
- Why did Mr. Terror flee?
Ans: It could not frighten the author.
- Where was the author swimming?
Ans: He was swimming in Lake Wentworth in New Hampshire.
Short Answer Type Questions
Q 1. What was the ‘Misadventure’ that happened at the YMCA pool?
- William Douglas had decided to learn to swim at the YMCA pool for safety reasons. He had begun to overcome the fear and the childhood aversion to water when the ‘misadventure’ happened. That particular day he had reached the pool earlier than usual. He decided to wait for others as he feared to go alone in the water. Then, came an eighteen year bully of a boy, who without any warning picked him and tossed him into the deeper end. Douglas went at once to the bottom in his sitting position itself. He was nearly drowned. This misadventure haunted him for many years.
Q 2. How did the ‘Misadventure’ at YMCA affect him?
Ans: The misadventure had a haunting experience on him for many years. He never went back to the pool. He started avoiding water. Even after growing up, whenever he tried to get into the water, the old fear gripped his mind, his legs would paralyze and icy horror would grasp his heart. It deprived him of the pleasures of fishing, boating, swimming or any other water-related activity.
Q3. What did he, finally, decide to do to overcome his fear of water?
Ans: The near-death experience of drowning at the YMCA pool deeply shook him down to his heart. The haunting terror of water continued to stay with him as the tears rolled by. The fear ruined his joys of boating, canoeing, fishing and swimming. He could not enjoy the pleasures of water-related activities with his friends. Finally, he decided to hire an instructor to help him overcome his fear of water.
Q4. How did the instructor ‘build a swimmer’ out of Douglas?
Ans: The instructor was an expert. He made him practice in a pool five days a week; an hour each day.
- He put a belt around him and a rope was attached to the belt which went through a pulley that ran an overhead cable which was held by the instructor by the end. With this rope he went back and forth in the pool. This went on for three months.
- He then taught Douglas to put his face under water and exhale and then to raise his nose to inhale
- Next he held Douglas at the side of the pool and had him kick with his legs.
Thus, bit by bit, he built a swimmer out of Douglas. After seven months, the integrated and whole swimmer was put in the pool to swim on his own.
Q5. How did Douglas remove his residual doubts about his fear of water?
Ans: Douglas, under the training of his instructor, was built into a good swimmer and he swam with ease in the pool. But he was not satisfied so he went to Lake Wentworth, dived off a dock at Triggs Island and swam two miles across the lake to Stamp Act Island; only once did the terror return, when he was in the middle of the lake but this time he brushed it off and swam on. To further clear his residual doubts, he went to Warm Lake and swam across to the other shore and back. He had finally conquered his fear of water.
Long Answer Type Questions
Q1. What was the incident that nearly killed Douglas and developed in him a strong aversion to water?
Ans: Douglas was about four or five years old when he visited a beach in California with his father. While standing in the surf the waves knocked him down and swept over him. The overpowering force of the waves frightened him and he developed a fear of water.
When he was ten or eleven years old, he decided to learn to swim at the YMCA pool for safety reasons. He had just begun to feel at ease in the water when the misadventure happened. One day, as he was sitting all alone at the edge of the pool, a well-built bully tossed him into the deeper end of the pool. He was almost killed. This near death experience instilled a deep fear of water in him. The misadventure aggravated his fear and developed in him a strong aversion to water He avoided water whenever he could. Whenever he tried to get into water the terror that seized him in the pool would take possession of him. His legs would become paralysed and icy horror would grab his heart. The handicap stayed with him as the years rolled by and deprived him of the water related activities. Finally, he decided to overcome his fear by hiring an instructor to learn to swim.
Q2. Describe the efforts made by Douglas to save himself from drowning in the YMCA pool?
Ans: Douglas had decided to learn to swim in the YMCA pool for safety reasons. He had begun to enjoy himself in water when the ‘misadventure’ happened. One day he reached the pool when no one else was there, he was too timid to get into the pool alone. He sat at the edge of the pool to wait for others when a big bruiser of a boy, without any warning, picked him up and tossed into the deep end of the pool. Douglas landed in the water in a sitting position, swallowed water, and went at once to the bottom. He was shocked and frightened but not too frightened to be out of wits. On his way down he planned that when his feet hit the bottom, he would make a big jump, come to the surface, lie flat on it and paddle to the edge of the pool.
But his way down seemed a long journey, the nine feet seemed more than ninety and before he reached the bottom his lungs were ready to burst. When his feet hit the bottom he mustered all his strength and made a jump that he thought was a great spring and imagined himself bob to the surface like a cork. Instead, he came up slowly. He opened his eyes only to find dirty yellow water around him, he grew panicky, he tried to yell for help but no sound came out, he felt suffocating he tried to reach for ropes, ladder, water wings but his hands clutched only water. Before his mouth could come out to the surface he was pulled down by a great force of water. He tried to bring his legs up, but they hung as dead weights, paralysed and rigid. He tried to make a big jump for the second time but his efforts failed. When he started down a third time he was too exhausted to try to save himself. He accepted his approaching death which wiped out his fear, he felt peaceful and found himself losing consciousness. When he regained his consciousness he found himself lying beside the pool, vomiting. This near drowning experience deeply affected him and the terror of water haunted him for years.
Q3. “All we have to fear is to fear itself”. Describe Douglas’ experiences which led to the making of this statement.
Ans: Douglas had an aversion to water since his early childhood but when he was ten or eleven years old decided to learn to swim at the YMCA pool. He had just begun to get over his fear of water when the ‘misadventure’ happened. He was tossed into the deeper end of the pool by a bully. He was almost drowned, his near-death experience left a deep impression on his mind. The terror had seized him in the pool would come back. It would take possession of him completely. The fear stayed with him as the years rolled by. This handicap deprived of the joy of canoeing, boating, and swimming. Finally, he hired an instructor to learn to swim. Under his expert instructions and guidance Douglas was able to swim confidently in a pool within seven months. However, to ensure that he had conquered his fear of water, he went to Lake Wentworth and swam two miles across the lake to Stamp Act Island. Only once did the terror return which he was able to brush it aside easily. Then he swam across the shore and back in Warm Lake which cleared even his residual doubts. He had finally conquered his fear of water.
Douglas had experienced both the sensation of dying and the terror that the fear of death can cause. Thus the will to live grew intense in him. Through this account, he conveys a deeper message of hope, struggle and determination. Fear is the hindrance on our way to success. Fear makes us mentally weak but with determination, courage and perseverance we can accomplish the impossible.
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