DEEP WATER

WORKING WITH THE TEXT

1 What is the "misadventure" that William Douglas speaks about?

or What shocking experience did Douglas have at the YMCA pool?
or What happened to Douglas at the YMCA pool?

Ans:- William Douglas speaks about the 'misadventure' which

happened at the YMCA swimming pool when he was about ten or
eleven years old. A big bully threw Douglas into the deep end of the
pool when no one was around.
As Douglas realised that he was drowning, he made several attempts
to save himself, but all in vain. Finally, he felt that he would die and
then he lost consciousness. When he gained consciousness, he was
lying outside the pool. Apparently, somebody had rescued him.

2 What were the series of emotions and fears that Douglas

experienced when he was thrown into the pool? What plans did he
make to come to the surface?
or What did Douglas feel and do when he was pushed into the
swimming pool?

Ans:- When Douglas was thrown into the pool, he was very much
scared but he did not lose his mind. He planned that he would make a
big jump when his feet would touch the bottom. Thus, he would come
to the surface. Unfortunately, the plan failed. Douglas then grew
panicky and started suffocating. He felt that he would die, and then he
lost consciousness.
3 How did this experience affect him?
or What deep meaning did his experience at the YMCA swimming
pool have for Douglas?
or How did his experience at the YMCA swimming pool affect
Douglas?
or What did Douglas learn from his experience of almost drowning?

Ans:- The near drowning experience had a very deep meaning and
impact on Douglas. It left a haunting fear lurking in his heart. He was
extremely scared of water and avoided going near it whenever he
could. The fear deprived him of the joys of boating and fishing and
destroyed his social life.

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

Ans:- Douglas regretted being deprived of enjoying water-based

activities and sports like canoeing. boating, fishing and swimming.
His ardent wish to enjoy such activities and regain his lost confidence
while staying in water were the reasons for his determination to get
over his fear of water.

5 How did the instructor "build a swimmer" out of Douglas?

or How did the instructor turn Douglas into a swimmer?
or How did the swimming instructor build a swimmer out of Douglas?

Ans:- The instructor built a good swimmer out of Douglas piece by

piece. First the instructor made him shed his initial fear of water by
making him cross a pool suspended by a rope attached through a
pulley to his belt. This went on for three months. Then Douglas was
taught to exhale under water and raise his nose above water and
inhale. Then Douglas was made to kick with his legs until these were
relaxed. Finally, after seven months, the instructor told him to swim
the length of the pool.

6 How did Douglas make sure that he conquered the old terror?
What was the deep fear in William Douglas' mind? How did he get
over it?
or How did Douglas' experience at the YMCA pool affect him? How did
he get over this effect?

Ans:- At the age of three or four, Douglas was engulfed by waves

from the sea, which started his fear of water. Then, when he was ten
or eleven years old. Douglas was tossed into a nine feet deep
swimming pool by a boy who was a bully. Douglas had a near
drowning experience which further increased his fear. Determined to
get rid of his fear, Douglas engaged. an instructor under whom he
practised five days a week, an hour each day. The instructor tied
Douglas with a rope suspended from a pulley to help him overcome
his fear.

However, every time when the instructor loosened his grip, Douglas'
fear returned. It took him three months to overcome it. Next, the
instructor taught Douglas to exhale under water and inhale by raising
his nose. He was made to kick with his legs at the side of the pool to
build up stamina. Thus, Douglas spent six months with the instructor
i.e. from October to April. Thereafter, he practised on his own by
swimming across various lakes, finally overcoming his fear.

7 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.

Ans:- Although panicky, Douglas had his strategy in place to come

popping up like a cork and then paddling to the edge of the pool.
Unfortunately, his first attempt failed and terror seized him. He tried to
grab a rope but his hands clutched only at water. He was suffocating
and tried to yell, but no sound came out. His legs were paralysed, his
lungs ached and his head throbbed.
He was dizzy and trembled with fright. The only signs of life in him
were his beating heart and pounding head. He attempted to come out
of the water a third time, but in vain. He sucked for air and got only
water. Finally, he stopped making efforts and fell unconscious.

All the above details of his gripping, near-drowning experience make

us feel that we are experiencing his lurking terror step by step.

8 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?
or What lesson did Douglas learn when he got rid of his fear of water?

Ans:- The tormenting phobia of water was with him since the incident
at the YMCA pool. Douglas as an adult recounted the horrific
experience, as it had completely changed his life.
He felt that the sensation of dying somehow intensified his zest for
life. The fight against the terror taught him the very important lesson
that 'All we have to fear is fear itself. When he finally shed his fear, it
proved that nothing is impossible for one with a firm will and
determination.

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS [2 Marks]

1 Why did Douglas' mother recommend that he should learn

swimming at the YMCA swimming pool?
or Why did Douglas prefer to go to the YMCA swimming pool to learn
swimming?
or What factors made Douglas decide in favour of the YMCA pool?

Ans:- Douglas' mother recommended that he should learn swimming

at the YMCA swimming pool because it was safe, being only two or
three feet deep at the shallow end with a gradual drop to nine feet at
the other end. In contrast, the Yakima river was quite deep and
several cases of drowning in it had been reported.
2 How did Douglas' introduction to the YMCA pool revive his
childhood fear of water?
Ans:- Douglas' introduction to the YMCA pool revived his childhood
fear of water as, when he had not yet learnt swimming, he was thrown
into the pool's deep end by a bully and sank to the bottom despite his
best efforts.

3 What did Douglas experience when he went down to the bottom of

the pool for the first time?

Ans:- As Douglas went down to the bottom of the pool for the first
time, he felt the way down the pool to be very long and his lungs were
ready to burst. He summoned all his strength and jumped up, but
could not reach the surface and began to sink again.

4 When Douglas realised that he was sinking, how did he plan to save
himself?

Ans:- When Douglas realised that he was sinking, he thought that

when his feet would hit the bottom, he would make a big jump, come
to the surface and lie flat on it. Then he would easily paddle to the
edge of the pool.

5 What sort of terror seized Douglas as he went down in the water

with a yellow glow? How could he feel that he was still alive?

Ans When Douglas went down in the water with a yellow glow for the
second time, a sheer, stark terror seized him. It was beyond control or
understanding. Douglas was paralysed with fear and could not move
his limbs. Only his throbbing heart and the pounding in his head
made him feel that he was still alive.
6 Why did Douglas fail to come to the surface of the pool as he hoped
to?
Ans:- When Douglas was drowning in the swimming pool, he tried to
come to the surface of the pool but failed because he was overcome
with fear and could not move his limbs. He felt that he would die.

7 How did Douglas get rescued when he was thrown in the pool?

Ans:- The narrator does not mention this. When he regained

consciousness, he was vomiting while lying on his stomach beside
the pool. Apparently, he had been rescued by someone.

8 Which two incidents in Douglas' early life made him scared of

water?

Ans:- The first incident occurred when he was three or four years old
at a beach in California. A strong wave knocked Douglas down and he
was buried in water. The next incident occurred at the YMCA pool
when he was ten or eleven. A big bully of a boy tossed him into the
deep end of the pool. He went down to the bottom and almost
drowned in the pool.

9 Mention any two long term consequences of the drowning incident

on Douglas.

Ans:- Two long term consequences of the drowning incident on

Douglas were

(i) Douglas always felt terrified when near water. Fear gripped him
when he came near any water body.
(ii) He was deprived from enjoying any water related activities like
fishing, swimming. canoeing, boating etc.

10 How did Douglas remove his residual doubts about his fear of
water?
Ans:- Douglas removed his residual doubts by swimming across
Warm Lake to the opposite shore and back. He says, "I shouted with
joy, and Gilbert Peak returned the echo. I had conquered my fear of
water."
LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS (5 Marks)

1 " I crossed to oblivion, and the curtain of life fell." What was the
incident which nearly killed Douglas and developed in him a strong
aversion to water?

Ans:- The incident that nearly killed Douglas occurred at the YMCA
pool when he was ten or eleven years old. He had decided to learn
swimming at the YMCA pool, and thus get rid of his fear of water. One
morning, when he was alone at the pool, a big bully of a boy tossed
him into the deep end of the pool. Though he had planned a strategy
to save himself, his plan did not work. He went down to the bottom
and got panicky. Thrice he struggled hard to come to the surface but
failed each time. He was almost drowned in the pool. This
misadventure developed in him a strong aversion to water.

2 What happened at the YMCA swimming pool which instilled fear of

water in Douglas' mind?

Ans:- When Douglas was learning swimming at the YMCA pool at the
age of ten or eleven, one day while sitting beside the pool waiting for
other people to come, a muscular bully picked him up and threw him
into the deep end of the pool. As Douglas realised that he may drown,
he made three attempts to come up to the water surface, but failed
and fell unconscious. Ultimately he was rescued by someone, but this
episode in his life reinforced the fear of water in Douglas' mind which
he had first felt when, at the age of three or four, he had been
completely swamped by a huge wave at the seaside in California.
His father held on to him at that time to save him from drowning, but
at the YMCA pool there was nobody.
3 Fear is something that we must learn to overcome if we want to
succeed in life. How did Douglas get over his fear of water?

Ans:- The story 'Deep Water' is a story of sheer determination and

perseverance. It teaches us how, in spite of all odds, our positive
attitude and our courage to fight can help us achieve success in life.
The narrator's phobia of water or water bodies had gripped him for
quite a long period of his life. However, once he decides to overcome
his fear, he is able to shed it off completely. He adopts a positive
attitude, and determines that he will fight his fear, no matter what.
His training is a long and slow process, but he learns everything
patiently and never gives up. Douglas's perseverance and courage
teach us that a firm will and determination, coupled with a bold
attitude can help us win over all obstacles, and achieve the
impossible.

4 Douglas fully realised the truth of Roosevelt's statement All we have

to fear is fear itself. How did this realisation help him brush aside his
fear and become an expert swimmer?

Ans:- Roosevelt said, "All we have to fear is fear itself". Douglas had
experienced both the sensation of dying and the terror that fear of it
can produce. Strong will, determination, courage and toil as well as
honest labour win over all our terrors and fears. The will to live
brushes aside all our fears.
This realization made him resolve to learn swimming by engaging an
instructor. This instructor, piece by piece, built Douglas into a
swimmer. Then, he went to Lake Wentworth, dived at Triggs Island
and swam two miles. across the lakes to Stamp Act Island. Finally he
had conquered his fear of water.

5 The story 'Deep Water' has made you realise that with determination
and perseverance one can accomplish the impossible. Write a
paragraph in about 120-150 words on how a positive attitude and
courage will aid you to achieve success in life.

Ans:- The story 'Deep Water' is a story of sheer determination and

perseverance. It teaches us how, in spite of all odds, our positive
attitude and our courage to bounce back can help us achieve success
in life. The narrator's phobia of water or water bodies had gripped him
for quite a long period of his life.

However, once he decides to overcome his fear, he is able to shed it

off completely. He adopts a positive attitude, and determines that he
will fight his fear, no matter what.

His training is a long and slow process, but he learns everything

patiently and never gives up. Douglas' perseverance and courage
teach us. that a firm will and determination, coupled with a bold
attitude, can help us win over all obstacles, and achieve the
impossible.

6 Douglas has a near-death experience in his childhood which has a

negative as well as a positive outcome. Justify the statement with
evidences from the text.

Ans:- After the near death experience in the YMCA swimming pool,
the negative outcome was that for many days and month fear of water
haunted Douglas. The slightest exertion upset him and he stayed
away from the pool. Even after a few years, whenever Douglas wanted
to swim or wade into waters of different rivers, his old fear would
return and would grip his mind and body badly. His legs would not
move as if they were paralysed and a chilling horror would surround
him making him motionless. As a result, he was devoid of pleasures
of swimming, rafting, fishing, canoeing and other water sports. He
used every possible way to overcome his fear but it would haunt him
again and again.
The positive outcome of this experience was that finally he decided to
get a swimming instructor and learn to swim. He went to a pool and
under his guidance he practiced five days a week, an hour each day.
After seven months of intense practice, Douglas overcame his fear of
water and practiced on his own by swimming across various lakes.

7 Desire, determination and diligence lead to success. Explain the

value of these qualities in the light of Douglas' experience in 'Deep
Water'.

Ans:- Douglas' first two experiences with water built up a fear of

being drowned in him. The first occurred at the age of three or four
years, when a sea wave washed him ashore.

The next experience which occurred at the age of ten or eleven was.
When he was thrown into the deep end of the YMCA pool and did not
know swimming.

The terror of water followed Douglas wherever he went. To get rid of

it, he made a strong resolution. He decided to overcome his fear
through his own will. He engaged an instructor who perfected him in
swimming gradually. The instructor gave him hundreds of exercises
and taught him how to exhale and inhale in water.

The practice went on for three months and Douglas was able to
counter his terror. Then after more exercises, the instructor ordered
him to dive. He swam across lakes also to gain confidence. He had
now completely lost his fear of water. His desire, determination and
diligence had succeeded in banishing his fear of water.

8 How did Douglas develop a fear of water?

Ans The author started fearing water when he was three or four years
old. It happened when his father took him to the beach in California.
He and author stood together in the surf. The waves of the water
knocked the author down and swept over him.

He was frightened and his breath was gone. Since then he started
fearing water. Later when the author was about ten or twelve years old
the fear of water further strengthened his mind and personality. He
went to the YMCA swimming pool to learn swimming.

A terrible incident occurred with him which increased his fear of

water. When he reached the swimming pool, no one else was there.
He was timid about going in water alone and sat on the side of the
pool to wait for others. Just then, a big boy threw him into the pool.
He did not know how to swim and thus felt that he was going to
drown. This incident greatly terrorised him and the fear of water
further gripped his mind.