NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Prose 3: Deep Water

Once William Douglas went to the Y.M.C.A. swimming pool when no one else was there. He was fearful about swimming in the pool alone. So he sat on the side of the pool to wait for others. He had not been there long when a big boy, probably eighteen-year-old, picked him up and threw him into the deep end of the pool.

He went at once to the bottom. He was frightened, but not yet frightened out of his wits. So, on the 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.

Douglas did this until he could possibly hit the bottom and try to paddle to the edge. But he went down, down, endlessly. He was gripped with a sense of panic as he tells us : “And then sheer, stark terror seized me, terror that knows no understanding, terror that knows no control, terror that no one can understand who has not experienced it.” He was shrieking under water. He was paralysed under water — stiff, rigid with fear. Even the screams in his heart were frozen. Only his heart, and the pounding in his head, said that he was still alive. This is how Douglas makes clear to the reader the sense of panic that gripped him as he almost drowned.

(i) treacherous : dangerous.The Yakima River was treacherous.
(ii) subdued my pride : the author brought his pride under control or suppressed it.
(iii) misadventure : here means a mishap, bad luck or a small accident.
(iv) bob to the surface like a cork : it means that the author moved quickly up and down in the water and came on the surface of water like a cork.
(v) flailed at the surface : it means that the author moved his arms and legs around without control at the surface of water.
(vi) curtain of life fell: it here means that the author was afraid that his life is coming to an end or he was approaching his possible death.
(vii) fishing for landlocked salmon : It means fishing for salmon fish almost or completely surrounded by land.
(viii) back and forth across the pool .It means moving across the pool from one place to another and back again repeatedly.

Deep Water Think as you read (Page 27)

The author William Douglas was sitting on the side of the pool. As there was no one else there, he was waiting for others to come so that he could start swimming. Then an eighteen-year-old well-built boy picked him up and tossed him into the deep end of the pool.

William Douglas was thrown into the deep waters of the pool by a big boy. He was frightened but not frightened enough to stop thinking. All the time, despite having fear of drowning, he kept himself mentally alert. 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. His strategy helped him save his life.

This experience of the author about to face death, made him bold and strong. This experience wiped out fear and wiped out terror from the author’s mind. He felt that there was no more panic and it was all quiet and peaceful. He felt that there was nothing to be afraid of.

Deep Water Think as you read (Page 29)

Douglas felt handicapped because he was afraid of water. That is why he was determined to get over the fear of water and decided to get an instructor and learn to swim. That was the only way he could get over the fear of water.

First of all, the instructor put a belt around Douglas. A rope attached to the belt went through a pulley that ran on overhead cable. The instructor held on to the end of the rope, and they went back and forth hour after hour, day after day, week after week. Then the instructor taught Douglas to put his face under water and exhale, and to raise his nose and inhale. Douglas repeated the exercise hundreds of times.

Next, the instructor held Douglas at the side of the pool and had him kick with his legs. He did just that for weeks altogether. Finally, Douglas was able to command his legs, which firstly refused to work. This is how, piece by piece, the instructor built a swimmer out of Douglas. When the instructor had perfected each piece, he put them together into an integral whole.

To make sure that he has conquered the old terror of water, Douglas tried to swim alone when nobody was around. So, he went to Lake Wentworth in New Hampshire, dived off a dock at Triggs Island, and swam two miles across the lake to Stamp Act Island. He swam the crawl, breast stroke, side stroke, and back stroke. Only once the terror returned, but he overcame it successfully for ever in his life.

Deep Water Understanding the text

William Douglas for a long period remained fearful of water. This handicap deprived him of the joy of canoeing, boating, and swimming. He used every way he knew to overcome his fear of water, but it overpowered him. Finally, one October, he decided to get an instructor and learn to swim.

He went to a pool and practised five days a week, an hour each day. The instructor first put a belt around Douglas. A rope attached to the belt went through a pulley that ran on an overhead cable. The instructor held on to the end of the rope, and they went back and forth. Then the instructor taught Douglas to put his face under water and exhale, and to raise his nose and inhale. Then he taught Douglas how to kick in water with his legs. This is how Douglas learnt swimming step by step.

However to ensure that he has conquered his fear of water, Douglas went to Lake Wentworth in New Hampshire and dived off a dock at Triggs Island. He swam two miles across the lake to Stamp Act Island. He swam the crawl, breast stroke, side stroke, and back stroke.

Only once the terror returned to some extent when he was in the middle of the lake. But he overcame it. Yet to clear his doubt, he went up the Tietan to Canrad Meadows, and camped in the high meadov by the side of Warm Lake. The next morning he dived into the lake and swam across to the other shore and back. He shouted with joy as he had conquered his fear of water.

As ah adult, Douglas recalls a childhood experience of water terror. He wants to analyse the root cause of this fear, which started when he was three or four years old. Then his father took him to the beach in California. His father and Douglas stood together amidst the waves between the rocks and the shore.

He hung on to his father, yet the waves knocked him down and pushed him suddenly. He was buried in water. His breath was gone. He was frightened. Though his father laughed, but there was strong fear in his heart at the overpowering force of the waves. Thus, from the beginning, however, Douglas had an aversion to the water when he was in it.

The significance of Douglas’s recount of this childhood experience is that it was the basis on which he made his firm mind to overcome this fear. He draws a larger meaning from this experience that there is terror only in the fear of death. All one has to fear is fear itself. William Douglas had experienced both the sensation of dying and the terror that fear of it can produce. He was feeling the will to live somehow grew in intensity.

It is a fact that all we need to fear is fear itself. The only way to conquer fear is to constantly do the things of which we are afraid. We should not stop doing such things until we completely overcome the fear of those things. I too had cricket phobia till last year. It all started when I was in fourth standard. I was playing cricket with my friends in the ground of our colony one Sunday afternoon.

I was batting when the cricket ball hit me on my head. I fell unconscious on the ground. It was only after a fortnight that I recovered completely. I stopped playing cricket afterwards. On the insistence and encouragement of my friends I started playing cricket again last year. I batted while wearing a helmet. I was afraid while trying to catch the ball also while fielding. But during my spare time, I played cricket only. In this way, gradually, I was able to overcome my fear of playing cricket.

The history of human beings is full of stories of courage and conquest of fear. Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela fought courageously and struggled strenously to see, their countries free from British empire and to attain independence.

Nelson Mandela remained in jail for a very long time without having any fear of oppression. Maharani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi fought bravely with the Mughal empire and sacrificed her life, Bhagat Singh, Chandershekhar Azad, Sukhdev and Rajgurh kissed death willingly and happily for the sake of freedom of their nation. All these people and many many more had conquered fear with courage.

Maharana Pratap, another hero of Indian history, waged tireless war against Mughal supermacy. He fought many heroic battles against the Mughal army. All through the changing fortunes of the war Udaipur, Maharana’s seat of government, held its head high and refused to acknowledge supermacy of Akbar.

Udaipur remained unconquered. The story “We’re Not Afraid To Die” is the story of courage and optimism about the voyage of the author alongwith his family on their boat. ‘Wavewalker’. They faced the alarmingly high sea waves that broke over the ship, injured him and his daughter Sue. But none of them lost courage. His small ^ children also showed exemplary courage and conviction. Despite extremely odd circumstances, they were able to save themselves.

Had somebody else narrated Douglas’s experience, it would have been in indirect form of narration and not in autobiographical or direct form of narration, used by Douglas. Douglas has narrated his experience in T form. If somebody else would have narrated about his experience, he would have mostly used ‘he’ instead of ‘I’.

If one’s experiences about his or her own life are to be told, I would definitely like to read these in the autobiographical form. This is because then it will be the first hand account of the author’s own experiences, which are likely to be more authentic, true and realistic. Moreover, one can express one’s own feelings more accurately and sincerely as compared to the feelings and experiences narrated by somebody else.

“At last I felt released free to walk the trails and climb into peaks and to brush aside fear.” Of course, it turned out to be a terrible experience in the beginning, but in the end it was a thrilling joyous experience. Learning to drive a car was such an experience for me. On my persistent requests, my uncle agreed to help me learn how to drive a car. One day, we went to outskirts of the city where there was very less traffic.

First of all, my uncle told me about the major components of the car like clutch, brake and steering wheel etc. Then he told me how to start a car. Everytime I tried to start the car, I failed. As soon as I would start it, it would i nnatically stop. After an hour of practice when still I was not able to start, my uncle encraged me by saying that in the beginning it takes time to learn.

Next day, I managed to start the car as I was determined to learn driving it. My practice was going on in an encouraging manner and under the assistance of my uncle, I had a full round of the circular road. Now every day I would accompany my uncle or rather eagerly awaited for him so that I would continue with my practice. On that day, I saw a truck at some distance. I got confused and instead of applying brakes, I pressed the cluch. It would have surely been a fatal accident had my uncle not promptly pressed the brake with full force. The truck driver also did the same. And luckily we had a narrow escape.

But this mishappening had a terrible effect on my mind. I was extremely fond of learning how to drive a car. But now I shuddered even while sitting in a car. My uncle tried his best to convince me that it happened because I got confused. He persuaded me to continue my driving lessons and practical. But somehow I could not muster enough courage to do so. I was absolutely scared of learning to drive a car.

Then after about six months, one of my fast friends and his father encouraged me to restart learning to drive a car. He advised me to join some good driving school. With reluctance, I agreed to join a driving school. The instructor of the driving school, who was guiding me, proved too good. Step by step, he guided me brilliantly. He put much more emphasis on practice than on theory.

He taught me that the skillful jobs like driving could only be learn while driving to the maximum extent. He taught me that one could learn driving while practising to the maximum extent without any fear but while taking all the precautions. In this way I was able to overcome my fear of driving a car. Now I feel immense joy when my driving skill is appreciated.

52, J.N. Colony
New Delhi-110 054.
August 25, 20xx My dear Ramesh,
Perhaps it will be a surprise to you to know that I have learnt something new, that is, playing the game of chess. But you will be more surprised to know that I am now champion of chess in my state. When you come to know about it and especially if you happen to know about it while watching T.V., I would like to explain you that it is my recent passion.
Ramesh! I break the news to you first of all! Your friend who never played chess till you know him, is now a state champion! For that, my dear friend, you should rejoice because I started playing chess when you went to Udaipur after the transfer of your father. It is not only a new thing to know for you, but it is also a new achievement for me, because whatever I did, the credit for it goes to you.
Yours sincerely,
Piyush Malhotra.

For self-attempt. You may find about the water sports in various states like Haryana’s wet and wild and in states like Gujarat, Maharashtra and many others. You may seek the help of your teacher in this respect.

Douglas regretted being deprived of enjoying water-based activities and shorts 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.

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 realized that he was drowning, he made several attempts to save himself, but all in vain. Finally, he felt that he would die and became unconscious. When he gained consciousness, he was lying outside the pool. Apparently, somebody had rescued him.

The near drowning experience had a very deep impact on Douglas. It left a haunting fear lurking in his heart. He was extremely scared of water and avoided going near it wheneve

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 a very important lesson that ‘All we have to fear is fear itself.’ His final shedding off of his fear proves that nothing is impossible for one with a firm will and determination.

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.

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.

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.”

Douglas’ experience at the YMCA pool left a haunting fear of water in his heart. He started avoiding venturing near water and this fear remained with him for many years. It prevented him from fishing, boating and swimming, besides ruining his social life.

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.

The instructor adopted a systematic method to turn Douglas into a swimmer. He first made him shed off his initial fear of water by making him cross a pool suspended by a rope attached to a pulley. Then he taught Douglas to breathe while swimming, and finally the leg movements and other strokes.

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 became unconscious.

After the instructor had trained Douglas in the art of swimming, Douglas swam on Lake Wentworth. Once when the terror returned, he challenged it, and did not let it overcome him. Finally, Douglas swam on the Warm Lake and the fear didn’t return to haunt him ever.

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.

When Douglas realized 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.

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.

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 realized 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.

The experience at the YMCA pool 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.The experience at the pool left a haunting fear of water in his heart. He started avoiding water whenever he could, which affected his normal activities as well as his social life.

After a few years of suffering like this, Douglas decided to get an instructor and learn to swim. The instructor systematically taught him how to swim, starting from the basics and taking all the required safety measures, which gave Douglas confidence. After six months of training, Douglas swam across a number of lakes independently, thus breaking free from his fear.

After a few years of unsuccessfully trying various methods to overcome his fear of water, Douglas decided to .get an instructor and learn to swim. The instructor systematically taught him how to swim, starting from the basics and taking all the required safety measures, which gave Douglas confidence.

After six months of training, Douglas swam the length of the pool up and down for three months. But he was still not satisfied. So he swam two miles across Lake Went worth in New Hampshire. Then he swam across Warm Lake and back. He shouted with joy, and Gilbert Peak returned the echo. He had conquered his fear of water.

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.

MCA 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 The incident that nearly killed Douglas occurred at the Y 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.

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, hard determination, courage and toil as well as honest labor win over all our terrors and fears. The will to live brushes aside all our fears.

This realization made him resolve to leam 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.

When Douglas was three or four years old, his father took him to the beach in California. Douglas hung on to his father, yet the waves knocked him down and swept over him. His father was laughing but there developed a terror in Douglas’ heart at the overpowering force of the waves.

The incident which further strengthened its hold on his mind and personality occurred when Douglas decided to learn swimming when he was ten or eleven years old. He went to the YMCA pool. There a big bully tossed him into the deep end of the pool. He went down to the bottom of the pool and panicked because all his efforts to come back up failed. Finally he was rescued by somebody, but he developed an aversion to water.

Douglas decided to get an instructor to learn swimming. The instructor started working with him five days a week, an hour each day. He put a belt around Douglas. A rope was attached to the belt that went through a pulley. The instructor held the rope and pulled Douglas back and forth, across the pool, making him practice.

The instructor taught him to put his face under the water and exhale, and to raise his nose and inhale. Slowly and steadily, Douglas was able to shed his fear of water, which was the greatest obstacle in his desire to swim.

For weeks after this, his instructor made him kick with his legs. Initially his legs were not responding, but with time they relaxed and he was able to command his legs at his will. In this way, piece by piece, his instructor made Douglas a good swimmer.

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 bully of a boy. He had a near drowning experience which further increased his fear.

Determined to get rid of his fear, Douglas engaged an instructor under whom he practiced 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’s 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 practiced on his own by swimming across various lakes, finally overcoming his fear.

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 paralyzed, 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 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.

This story is appropriately titled ‘Deep Water’. It unfolds with the narrator deciding to learn swimming aft the YMCA swimming pool. He admitted that he had an aversion to water. This began when he was three or four years old and his father took him to a California beach. Here he was knocked down and swept away by the waves.

Yet another incident aggravated his phobia of water bodies. He was tossed by a robust bully into the deeper end of the swimming pool. He nearly drowned and was terribly frightened. An ‘icy horror’ took possession of him and his legs became paralysed.

He began to avoid going near water bodies. Finally, he decided that it was time to act tough. He engaged an instructor who systematically trained him in the art of swimming. Thus, the ‘deep’ aversion and terror he had of water was finally removed.

The narrator had engaged an instructor who would teach him to swim. He helped Douglas to get rid of the icy horror of water bodies by attaching a rope to a belt worn by him. Holding the end of the rope in his hand, he made Douglas go back and forth in the pool. Next, with the help of breathing techniques and exercises like kicking with his legs, the instructor managed to build a swimmer of him bit by bit, step by step.

The instructor also helped him in building up stamina, thus improving his confidence. The instructor was hired in the month of October. By April, he put all he had taught into an integrated whole. Thus, in a period of about six months, the instructor ‘built a swimmer’ out of Douglas. It was time for the instructor to go away then, because he had finished with his training.

The quote, “All we have to fear is fear itself “, by the American President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, is absolutely true. It is only the fear of consequences which prevents us from taking an action, and hampers our progress, not only as an individual, but also as a society.

William. Douglas writes, “In death there is peace. There is terror only in the fear of death.” It is his fear of drowning which makes him develop an aversion to water, and avoid going near water bodies, or indulging in water sports. When he is able to overcome his fear with the help of the instructor, he is able to learn to swim. Likewise, there are numerous incidents around us that show how fear cripples the mind of an individual and society, and acts as an impediment to growth.

The terror of water followed Douglas wherever he went. To get rid of it, he made a strong determination. He decided to overcome his fear through his ‘will.’ He engaged an instructor who perfected him in swimming. The instructor gave him hundreds of exercises and taught him 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.