Deep Water by William Douglas - Class 12
Meenu Sethi
2 years agoVideo
Deep Water by William Douglas is an autobiographical account. It tells us how a near-drowning experience terrified him and how he overcame that fear. From exam's point of view let’s break down the chapter for easy understanding.
Scroll down to keep on reading!
His views about swimming
He decides to learn swimming when he was around 10 or 11 years old. He had an inherent fear of water as his mother kept telling him about the drowning incidences in river Yakima.
His experience when he was three or four years old
He had gone to the beach in California. He had been knocked over by waves. He felt suffocated and the fear of water took its grip on him.
Being thrown in the pool
Around 10 or 11 years of age he decided to learn swimming at the YMCA pool. He tried to learn by copying others. But one day when he reached before everyone else, he decided to wait. At this time a boy who was around 18 years old came and threw the author in the deep end just for fun.
Struggle to come out
First Attempt
- It seemed a long way
- Lungs ready to burst
- Makes a strategy to hit the surface. & come up like a cork
- Didn’t come out fast – grew panicky
- Felt suffocated; legs paralysed & tight
- Back to the bottom
Second Attempt
- lost all breath
- lungs pained, head throbbed & felt dizzy
- Uses the same strategy
- Felt Terrorized & paralysed
- Only Pounding in head confirmed he was alive
Third Attempt
- Gave up the effort
- Blackness – wiped fear and terror
- Felt quiet & peaceful
- Passed into oblivion – felt peaceful
Rescue & the feeling after that
He was taken out & was lying near the pool & vomiting. The boy who had thrown him was being scolded. He felt scared for days. Even the slightest exertion upset him.
Problems on account of this fear
He could no longer enjoy any water sport. He wanted to enjoy the sport but every time the terror seized him. It ensured that he never enjoyed canoeing boating & swimming
Efforts to overcome the fear
He decided to get an instructor & learn to swim
- Practiced 5 days a week
- Instructor tied a belt around his waist which passed through a pulley & he held on to the end of the rope
- He went back & forth
- Terror gripped him for at least 3 months
- Taught him to exhale under water & to inhale after raising his knees
- Bit by bit he learnt to kick his legs & relax in water
- Learnt to swim after piecing all information together
Self Challenges
- Swam alone in the pool
- Went to Lake Wentsworth in New Hampshire, dived & went to many other places to challenge himself
- Conquered his fear of the water
Thank You!
Hope you understood the chapter. Incase of any doubts, please feel free to ask them on our handle or our page.
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Meenu Sethi
Educator & MentorAn extremely ambitious workaholic, Mrs. Meenu Sethi has been an educator and mentor for the last 21 years and has now brought her experience & expertise to English ChatterBox. She is both the founder, and the author of this awesome blog.
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