DEEP WATER

William Douglas

Theme: A real- life personal account of

experiencing fear and the steps taken to overcome
it.
Sub-theme
Psychological analysis of fear
Important points
1. Developed aversion to water
• 3 to 4 years old; father took him to California
beach for surfing.
• Waves knocked him down; water swept over
him
• Fear of water sets in.
2. Yakima river
• Treacherous; mother warned him against it.
• Kept fresh in his mind –each drowning in the
river.
3. Misadventure at Y.M.C.A pool
• Shallow end is 2-3 feet deep; 9 feet at the
deep end.
• An 18 year old bruiser tossed him into the
deep end.
• Doughlas’ plan- when he hits the bottom of
the pool- he would jump and come to the
surface.
• But in the third attempt failed to rise;
suffocated; lungs ached; head throbbed; fear-
stricken.
• Became unconscious; nearly died
4. Impact of fear
• Ruined his fishing trips
• Deprived him of the joy of canoeing, boating
and swimming
5. Hired an instructor to overcome his fear
• Practiced 5 days a week- 1 hour each day
• Used belt and rope to teach swimming
 • Taught to exhale under water and inhale above
water
• Taught limb coordination
• Taught different strokes – crawl stroke, breast
stroke, side stroke and back stroke
6. Tested himself
• 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.
Character Sketch of William Douglas
• Adventurous in nature
• Had a zest for life
• Courageous/ bold
• Indomitable spirit to overcome his fear
• Not frightened by crisis- accepted it as a challenge

Extract based questions

1. My breath was gone. I was frightened. Father

laughed, but there was terror in my heart at the

overpowering force of the waves. My
introduction to the Y.M.CA. swimming pool
revived unpleasant memories and stirred childish
fears. But in 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.
(i) Choose the correct option with reference to the
two statements given below.
Statement 1: The author’s father laughed to mock
his son’s inability to swim.
Statement 2: The author wanted to swim just to
prove to his father that he can swim.
a) Statement 1 is true but Statement 2 is false.
b) Statement 1 is false but Statement 2 is true.
c) Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 cannot be
inferred.
d) Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 can be
inferred.
(ii) “My introduction to the Y.M.CA. Swimming
pool revived unpleasant memories and stirred
childish fears.” It can be inferred that this was a
clear case of
a) suppression
b) oppression
c) depression
d) repression
(iii) The misadventure that took place right after
the author felt comfortable was that
a) the author slipped and fell into the swimming
pool.
b) a bully tossed him into the pool for the sake of
fun.
c) his coach forgot to teach him how to handle
deep water.
d) his father couldn’t help him from drowning
into the water.
(iv) What does the phrase ‘I gathered confidence’
tell about the author?
Ans. It tell us that the author had enough courage
to overcome his fear and come out of the pool.
(v)Pick evidence from the extract that helps one
infer that this was not the author’s first bad
experience in the pool.
(vi) What is theme of the above extract?
Ans. The story focuses on the fact that childish
fears must never be treated lightly. One should
always try to overcome the fear.
Short answer type questions
1. ‘All we have to fear is fear itself.’ When did
Douglas learn this lesson?
Ans. Douglas learnt this lesson after overcoming
his fear of water by hiring a trainer and learning
how to swim. He tried swimming in Lake
Wentworth and Warm Lake. Both the attempts
were successful. He became confident and
understood that all we have to fear is fear itself.
He realized that all obstacles, fears and terrors
can be conquered. We must have the
determination and courage to face them.
 2. How did the fear of water ruin Douglas’ leisure
activities?
Long Answer type questions:
1. Discuss the significance of the references to
the natural world in the chapter ‘Deep
Water’?
Ans. The natural world can act as both, life threat as
well as life survivor.
Douglas’ dislike of water first began when he was three
years old and had gone to California beach with his
father. He was knocked down by the waves. His breath
was gone and he developed a fear of water.
Later, Douglas was determined to overcome his fear of
water because his phobia had ruined his fishing trips.
Moreover, he had also never been able to enjoy water
sports like canoeing, boating and swimming. He was
determined to get an instructor to learn swimming.
Douglas used the YMCA pool and not the Yakima River
to learn swimming because the river was treacherous.
Even after his vigorous swimming practice he was still
not very sure if his terror for water had left him. So
Douglas went to Lake Wentworth in New Hampshire to
test whether he still had any fear of water. He dived
into the lake and only after running across the shore
and back did he feel certain that his terror of water had
fled.
In the early part of his narration, the sea made him feel
scared of water but later with his perseverance and
determination, he overcame it. Thus the natural world
is quite significant in the story.
Practice Questions
Extract based
1. Then all effort 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... too tired 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... I crossed to oblivion,
and the curtain of life fell.
(i) Choose the correct option with reference to the two
statements given below.
Statement 1: The author tried his best to jump out
of water.
Statement 2: After a while, the author was not
anxious in water.
a) If Statement 1 is the cause, Statement 2 is the
effect.
b) If Statement 1 is the effect, Statement 2 is the
cause.
c) Both the statements are the effects of a common
cause.
d) Both the statements are the effects of independent
causes.
(ii) The ‘curtain (of life) fell’ corresponds to an aspect of
a) Geometry.
b) History.
c) Sports.
d) Drama.
(iii) The purpose of using “…” in the above passage is to
a)show omission.
b)indicate pauses.
c)shorten a dialogue.
d)replace an idea.
(iv) Which option indicates that the poet lost
consciousness?
a) ‘It was quiet and peaceful.’
b) ‘I crossed to oblivion.’
c) ‘Tender arms like Mother’s.’
d) ‘It wiped out fear.’
(v) Identify the line from the text that bears evidence to
the fact that author has lost hope and felt as he was in
his mother’s arms.
(vi)The story is about the author’s______________
Short answer type
(i) Seemingly small everyday wins are actually the
greatest learnings of life. Comment on the statement
with reference to the chapter “Deep Water”.
(ii) Getting rid of fear is an extremely difficult task.
Elucidate with reference to the chapter “Deep Water”.
Long Answer type questions
(i) Imagine that the bully who threw Douglas into the
pool, reads this chapter and realizes his mistake.
As the bully, write a diary entry penning down your
response to Douglas’ perseverance and your own
feelings of guilt and regret.