Deep Water
William Douglas
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 gives vivid details of the mishap to make clear to the reader the sense of panic that gripped him as he almost drowned. He begins with the moment when a big bully threw him at the deeper end of the pool. After that, Douglas explains how deep the nine feet felt when he was going down. He also talks about his mental plan to bounce back to the surface after hitting the bottom. Then he explains his failure of doing so. He talks about how terror overtook him, and in the final moments even terror appeared irrelevant in the face of imminent death. While explaining all this, Douglas not only talks about the physical trauma he was suffering from but also the mental trauma he was going through.
Question 2: How did Douglas overcome his fear of water?
Answer: Douglas finally mustered up courage to take the services of a swimming instructor. The swimming instructor turned out to be a perfect professional who put all his effort to turn Douglas into an ace swimmer. It was a combination of the instructor’s skills and Douglas’s perseverance which helped Douglas to overcome his fear of water. Even after the swimming lessons were over, Douglas did not stop practicing till he was fully satisfied with the results.
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 his experience?
Answer: Life is full of fears and anxieties, and only those excel in life who successfully overcomes such fears. According to Douglas, once a person overcomes his fears he develops a stronger instinct to live. There can be many other fears in life which may not be life threatening at all. But they also hold the potential to hold you back in achieving success in life. For example, a person can be suffering from stage fright. Another person can have phobia of facing unknown persons. These fears may sound trivial but they hold a person from realizing the full potential in life. I think, achieving your goal in life is partly about trying your best in your chosen endeavour and partly overcoming a particular fear which may be holding you back.
Talking About the Text
Question 1: “All we have to fear is fear itself”. Have you ever had a fear that you have now overcome? Share your experience with your partner.
Answer: I was always good at studies but I always feared facing a competition. The phobia was so much that I often felt butterflies in my stomach on the day of an examination. My parents probably understood my fear and started taking me to participate in various painting competitions which were frequently organized in the city. The moment I was left all alone amidst the huge swarm of competing children on a lawn, I felt being put under a microscope the way a slide is put for observation. I think, after about five rounds of failures, I won a consolation prize in a painting competition in which about 3000 children had participated. Next year was even better as I won the first prize. This was the beginning of me getting better of my phobia. I gradually built on my new found confidence and now I don’t mind sitting for any examination for which I am eligible. After finishing my higher secondary school, I appeared for nine competitive examinations and have come out with flying colours in all of them.
Question 2: Find and narrate other stories about conquest and fear and what people have said about courage. For example, you can recall Nelson Mandela’s struggle for freedom, his perseverance to achieve his mission, to liberate the oppressed and the oppressor as depicted in his autobiography. The story We’re Not Afraid To Die, which you have read in Class XI, is an apt example of how courage and optimism helped ad family survive under the direst stress.
Answer: There are many examples. You can write about Bachendri Pal who conquered the Mount Everest. You can write about the story of a dyslexic child, as shown in the famous Hindi movie Taare Zamin Par.