Deep Water

ATTEMPT THE QUESTIONS MARKED IN RED IN YOUR REGISTERS.

Q1. What is the “misadventure” that William Douglas speaks about?

Ans. William O. Douglas had just learnt swimming. One day, an eighteen years old big
bruiser picked him up and tossed him into the nine feet deep end of the Y.M.C.A. pool. He
hit the water surface in a sitting position. He swallowed water and went at once to the
bottom. He nearly died in this misadventure.

Q2. 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?
Ans. Douglas was frightened and astound when he was thrown into the pool as he was
clueless about what just happened to him. However, he was not frightened out of his wits.
While sinking down he made a plan. He would make a big jump when his feet hit the
bottom. He would come to the surface like a cork, lie flat on it, and paddle to the edge of the
pool but unfortunately, he failed to execute his plans. He made several endeavours to jump
up but never got a headway. He tried to catch hold of some rope or ladder but was
unsuccessful. Finally, he gave up as he was completely exhausted and enervated and was
sinking into oblivion. He could see the curtain of life falling and saw no ray of hope.

Q3. How did this experience affect him?

Ans. This experience revived his aversion to water. He shook and cried when he lay on his
bed. He couldn’t eat that night. For many days, there was a haunting fear in his heart. The
slightest exertion upset him, making him wobbly in the knees and sick to his stomach. He
never went back to the pool. He feared water and avoided it whenever he could. This
unpleasant experience kept on reverberating in his mind whenever he went near water. This
unfortunate incident impacted him physically, emotionally as well as psychologically. He
was left dejected, despondent and full of despair.

Q4. When did Douglas decide to learn swimming? What options were available to him
to swim in? Which one did he choose and why?
Ans. Douglas was ten or eleven years old when he decided to learn swimming. He could
swim in the Yakima River or the Y.M.C.A. pool at Yakima. The Yakima River was
dangerous. Many persons had drowned in it. So, he chose the Y.M.C.A. pool as it was
considered safe according to him.

Q5. Which factors led Douglas to decide in favour of the Y.M.C.A. pool?
Ans. The Y.M.C.A. pool was safe. It was only two to three feet deep at the shallow end. It
was nine feet deep at the other. Moreover, the drop was gradual. The Yakima River was
treacherous and had drowned many people. So, he decided in favour of the Y.M.C.A. pool.

Q6. “I had an aversion to the water when I was in it?” says Douglas. When did he start
having this aversion and how?
Ans. The aversion started when Douglas was three or four years old. His father had taken
him to the beach in California. They were standing together in the surf. He had held his
father tightly, even then the waves knocked him down and swept over him. He was buried in
water. His breath was gone. He was frightened. There was terror in his heart about the
overpowering force of the waves and it impacted him so adversely that he developed an
innate fear of water in him.

Q7. How did Douglas initially feel when he went to the Y.M.C.A. pool? What made him
feel comfortable?
Ans. Unpleasant memories of the past were revived and childish fears were stirred. In a little
while he gathered confidence. He paddled with his new water wings. He watched the other
boys and tried to imitate them. He did so two or three times on different days. He began to
feel comfortable and gathered the courage to overcome the fear and learn how to swim.

Q8. Describe the boy who was responsible for the author’s misadventure?
Ans. He was a big boy, a bruiser. He was probably eighteen years old. He had thick hair on
his chest. He was a beautiful specimen. His legs and arms had rippling muscles. He was a
fun- loving fellow and enjoyed teasing the younger and weaker boys.

Q9. How did the “misadventure” happen with Douglas?

Ans. Douglas was sitting alone on the side of the pool, waiting for others. A big bruiser boy
of eighteen came there. Mocking him as ‘skinny’ he enquired how he would like to be
plunged in water. Saying so, he picked up Douglas and tossed him into the nine feet deep
end. Douglas struck the surface of water, swallowed water and at once went to the bottom.

Q10. “I was frightened, but not yet frightened out of my wits,” says Douglas. Which
qualities of the speaker are highlighted here and how?
Ans. Douglas was frightened when he went down into the pool and was about to be
drowned. He had an aversion to water and now he was filled with terror. He had remarkable
self-control. He used his mind even in the crisis and thought of a strategy to save himself
from being drowned. He planned that as soon as he would land to the bottom of the pool then
he would jump up like a cork and would lie flat on the surface of the water and then paddle
to the edge of the pool. However, he was unsuccessful as physically his body gave up and he
failed miserably in all his attempts to rise to the surface of the pool completely. He was
enervated and gasping for breath as hi lungs were filled with water.

Q11. “On the way down I planned,” remarks Douglas. What plan had he devised and
how far did it succeed?
Ans. While going down to the bottom, he made a plan to save himself from being drowned.
He decided to make a big jump as his feet hit the bottom. He hoped to move up to the surface
of water like a cork. Then he would lie flat on it, and paddle to the edge of the pool. The plan
was only partly successful. He rose to the surface twice but each time he swallowed water
and went down.

Q12. What did Douglas experience as he went down to the bottom of the pool for the
first time?
Ans. Going down to the depth of nine feet was not quick. It seemed a long way down. For
him those nine feet were more like ninety. Before he touched bottom his lungs were ready to
burst. He did not lose his presence of mind. Using all his strength, he made a great jump
upwards.
Q13. How was the result of the ‘great spring upwards’ that Douglas made on hitting
the bottom of the pool for the first time?
Ans. Douglas rose to the surface very slowly. When he opened his eyes, he saw nothing but
water with a dirty yellow colour. He grew panicky and petrified. He tried to grab a rope but
his hands clutched only at water. He was feeling suffocated and perplexed. He tried to shout,
but no sound came out. Then his eyes and nose came out of the water but not his mouth. He
made repeated endeavours to jump to the surface but in vain as all his attempts were
unsuccessful and as a repercussion, he was left exhausted and enervated and finally gave up
as he could see the curtain of life falling.

Q14. How did Douglas struggle before hitting the bottom of the pool for the second
time? What was the outcome of his struggle?
Ans. Douglas moved his arms and legs around without control. He swallowed water and
choked. His legs hung as dead weights, paralysed and rigid. A great force was pulling him
down. He struck at the water with full force as he went down. He had lost all his breath. His
lungs ached and his head throbbed. He was getting dizzy. He went down through dark water
and was filled with fear. He was enervated and finally his body gave up as he sunk into
oblivion.

Q15. What sort of terror seized Douglas as he went down the ‘water with a yellow
glow?’ How could he feel he was still alive?
Ans. An absolute, rigid terror seized Douglas. It was a terror that knew no understanding or
control and was beyond comprehension of anyone who had not experienced it. He was
paralysed under water-stiff and rigid with fear. His screams were frozen. The beating of his
heart and throbbing of mind made him feel that he was still alive.

Q16. ‘In the midst of the terror came a touch of reason.’ How did the two forces work
in opposite direction and how did Douglas fare?
Ans. Reason told him to jump when he hit the bottom as he felt the tiles under him, he
jumped with everything he had but the jump made no difference. A mass of yellow water
held him. Stark terror took an even deeper hold on him. He shook and trembled with fright.
His arms and legs wouldn’t move. He tried to call for help, but nothing happened and all his
endeavours seemed inefficacious.

Q17. ‘I crossed to oblivion, and the curtain of life fell.’ How did Douglas experience the
sensation of dying before he actually crossed to oblivion?
Ans. As Douglas went down the pool the third time, he swallowed more water. All his
efforts to jump up ceased. His legs felt limp. A blackness swept over his brain and it wiped
out fear and terror. There was no more panic. It was quiet and peaceful. He felt drowsy and
wanted to go to sleep and finally he sunk into oblivion.

Q18. In what state did Douglas find himself on regaining consciousness?

Ans. He found himself lying on his stomach near the pool. He was vomiting. The fellow who
had thrown him in the pool was saying that he was only joking. Then someone remarked that
the small boy had nearly died. He hoped that he would be all right then. Then he was carried
to the locker room for change of clothes but this unfortunate incident left a devastating
impact on him.

Q19. How did Douglas react to the frightening experience (i) that day and (ii) later
when he came to know about the waters of the Cascades?
Ans. (i) He walked home after several hours. He was weak and trembling. He shook and
cried when he lay on his bed. He couldn’t eat that night. A haunting fear was there in his
heart. The slightest exertion upset him. His knees became wobbly. He felt sick to his
stomach. (ii) Whenever he waded the Tieton or Bumping River or bathed in Warm Lake of
Goat Rocks, the terror that had seized him in the pool would come back. This terror would
take possession of him completely. His legs would become paralysed. Icy horror would grab
his heart.

Q.20. “This handicap stayed with me as the years rolled by.” How did it affect his
pursuits for pleasure?
Ans. The haunting fear of water followed Douglas everywhere. He rowed in canoes on
Maine lakes fishing for landlocked salmon. He went for bass fishing in New Hampshire,
trout fishing on the Deschutes and Metolius in Oregon, fishing for salmon on the Columbia,
at Bumping Lake in the Cascades. Fear ruined his fishing trips. It deprived him of the joy of
canoeing, boating, and swimming. All this made him disheartened as his fear always
overpowered him and ruined his pleasure.

Q.21. What efforts did Douglas make to get over his fear of water and why?
Ans. Fear of water was a handicap Douglas developed during his childhood. It stayed with
him as he grew older. It ruined his pursuits of pleasure such as canoeing, boating, swimming
and fishing. He used every method he knew to overcome this fear. Finally, he was
determined to get an instructor and learn swimming.

Q22. What was the first piece of exercise the instructor gave Douglas? How long did it
take to yield the desired result?
Ans. The instructor made him go across the pool an hour a day for five days with the help of
a rope attached to his belt. The rope went through a pulley that ran on an overhead cable. The
instructor held on to the end of the rope. They went back and forth across the pool. A bit of
panic seized him every time. Moreover, the old terror returned and his legs froze when the
instructor loosened his grip on the rope and Douglas went under water. It was after three
months that the tension began to decrease.

Q23. Which other exercise did the instructor prescribe for Douglas to make him shed
the panic caused by water?
Ans. He taught Douglas to put his face under water and exhale. Then he was to raise his nose
and inhale. He repeated this exercise hundreds of times. Bit by bit he shed part of the panic
that seized him when his head went under water.

Q24. Which exercise helped Douglas to loosen his stiff legs and make them work as he
desired?
Ans. The instructor held Douglas at the side of the swimming pool. Then he made Douglas
kick with his legs. He did just that for weeks. At first his legs refused to work but gradually
they relaxed. Finally, he was able to command them.
Q25. Why does Douglas say: ‘The Instructor was finished. But I was not finished?’
How did he overpower tiny vestiges of the old terror?
Ans. The instructor’s work was over when he built a swimmer out of Douglas piece by piece
and then put them together into an integrated whole. However, Douglas was not satisfied
as the remnants of the old terror would return when he swam alone in the pool. He would
frown on terror and go for another length of the pool. He wanted to test himself to see if he
had mastered and accomplished what he desired.

Q26. Why did Douglas go to Lake Wentworth in New Hampshire? How did he make
his terror flee?
Ans. Douglas was not sure whether all the terror had left even after the training from
October to April and practiced till July. So, he went to Lake Wentworth and swam two
miles. Terror returned only once when he was in the middle of the lake. He had put his face
under and saw nothing but bottomless water. The old sensation returned in a smaller size. He
laughed and rebuked the terror. His terror fled away and he swam on.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q1. “There was terror in my heart at the overpowering force of the waves.” When did
Douglas start fearing water? Which experience had further strengthened its hold on his
mind and personality’?
Ans. The water waves which knocked down young Douglas and swept over him at the beach
in California filled him with fear. He was then three or four years old. All this happened
when he had clung to his father. He was buried under water. His breath was gone and he was
frightened. His father laughed, but there was terror in his heart at the overpowering force of
the waves.
His introduction to the Y.M.C.A. swimming pool revived unpleasant memories and stirred
childish fears. He had gathered some confidence when a misadventure happened as a big boy
threw him at the nine feet deep end of the pool. His efforts to rise to the surface and paddle
to the side failed twice. He would have drowned if he had not been rescued in time. This
terror of water overpowered his limbs and made them stiff. His mind was haunted by the fear
of water. It was, in fact, a handicap to his personality.

Q2. Give an account of the fears and emotions of Douglas as he made efforts to save
himself from being drowned in the Y.M.C.A. swimming pool.
Ans. Douglas was frightened as he was going down. His active mind suggested a strategy to
save himself from being drowned in water. He knew that water has buoyancy. He must make
a big jump as his feet hit the bottom. He hoped to rise up like a cork to the surface, lie flat on
it and paddle to the edge of the pool.
Before he touched bottom, his lungs were ready to burst. Using all his strength, he made a
great jump. He rose up very slowly. He saw nothing but yellow coloured dirty water. He
grew panicky and he was suffocated. He swallowed more water as he tried to shout. He
choked and went down again. His stiff legs refused to obey him. He had lost all his breath.
His lungs ached and his head throbbed. He was getting dizzy. He went down through dark
water again. An absolute terror seized Douglas. He was paralysed under water. His reasoning
power told him to jump again. He did so, but his arms and legs wouldn’t move. His eyes and
nose came out of water, but not his mouth. He swallowed more water and went down the
third time. Now a blackness swept over his brain. He had experienced the terror that fear of
death can produce as well as the sensation of dying.
Q3. How did the misadventure in Y.M.C.A. swimming pool affect Douglas? What
efforts did he make to conquer his old terror? Did he succeed?
Ans. Douglas had nearly died in the swimming pool. For days there was a haunting fear in
his heart. The slightest exertion upset him. He avoided going near water as he feared it. The
waters of the cascades, fishing for salmon in canoes, bass or trout fishing-all appeared
attractive activities. However, the haunting fear of water followed Douglas everywhere and
ruined his fishing trips? It deprived him of the joy of canoeing, boating and swimming.
The fear of water became a handicap. He used every method he knew to overcome this fear.
Finally, he decided to engage a trainer and learn swimming. In seven months, the instructor
built a swimmer out of Douglas. However, the vestiges of the old terror would return when
he was alone in the pool. He could now frown on terror and go for another length of the pool.
This went on till July. Douglas was not satisfied.
He went to Lake Wentworth and swam two miles. The terror returned only once when he
had put his face under water and saw nothing but bottomless water. In order to remove his
residual doubts, he hurried west to Warm Lake. 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. He
finally succeeded in his effort.

Q4. Comment on the appropriateness of the title ‘Deep Water’ or

Do you think the title Deep Water’ is apt? Give reasons in support of your answer.
Ans. The title ‘Deep Water’ is quite appropriate to this extract from ‘Of Men and Mountains’
by William O. Douglas. The title is highly suggestive and at once focuses our attention on
the main theme - experiencing fear of death under water and the efforts of the author to
overcome it with his dedication, devotion, resilience, fortitude and perseverance.
All the details in the essay are based on his personal experience and analysis of fear. The
psychological analysis of fear is presented from a child’s point of view and centres round
deep water and drowning.
The overpowering force of the waves at the California beach stir aversion for water in
Douglas. His mother warns him against swimming in the deep waters of the treacherous
Yakima River. The nine feet deep water of the swimming pool appears more than ninety to
Douglas. However, when he conquers fear he can dive and swim in the deep waters of Lake
Wentworth and Warm Lake.
Thus the title is apt and suggestive.

Q5. What impression do you form of William O. Douglas on the basis of reading Deep
Water?’
Ans. William Douglas leaves a very favourable impression on us. He appears quite truthful
and courageous. He gives a detailed account of his fears and emotions as he struggles against
deep water to save himself from being drowned. Confessing one’s faults and shortcomings is
not easy. It needs courage, honesty and will power. Douglas has all these qualities.
His efforts to overpower the fear of water show his firm determination, resolution and strong
will power. He has an analytic mind which diagnoses the malady and prompts him to search
the cure. He is frightened of deep water, but not yet frightened out of his wits.
In his heroic struggle against fear, terror and panic, he rises to heroic stature. He becomes an
idol, a living image of bravery and persistent efforts. He typifies the will not to surrender or
yield. His indefatigable zeal is a source of inspiration for all and specially for the youth.
In short, William Douglas impresses us as a frank, truthful, honest and determined person.
He outshines and comes out with flying colours with his grit, determination, courage,
resilience and persistent endeavours.

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