Class 12 English — Chapter 3: Deep Water

What you'll learn

• ▸Origin of the Fear of Water
• ▸The Near-Drowning 'Misadventure'
• ▸The Long-Term Impact of Trauma
• ▸The Methodical Conquest of Fear
• ▸Self-Reliance and Final Victory
• ▸The Central Theme: Fear vs. The Will to Live
• ▸Autobiographical Narrative Style

Chapter Summary

--- PAGE 1 --- 12074CH03 3 Deep Water About the author William Douglas (1898-1980) was born in Maine, Minnesota. After graduating with a Bachelors of Arts in English and Economics, he spent two years teaching high school in Yakima. However, he got tired of this and decided to pursue a legal career. He met Franklin D. Roosevelt at Yale and became an adviser and friend to the President. Douglas was a leading advocate of individual rights. He retired in 1975 with a term lasting thirty-six years and remains the longest-serving Justice in the history of the court. The following excerpt is taken from Of Men and Mountains by William O. Douglas. It reveals how as a young boy William Douglas nearly drowned in a swimming pool. In this essay he talks about his fear of water and thereafter, how he finally overcame it. Notice how the autobiographical part of the selection is used to support his discussion of fear. Notice these words and expressions in the text. Infer their meaning from the contex…

Practice Questions from this Chapter

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1. Explain how fear affects the body. Get Solution →
2. Discover more about different water sports. Get Solution →
3. Share tips for learning to swim. Get Solution →
4. At what age did William Douglas decide to learn to swim at the Y.M.C.A.? Get Solution →
5. Where was the swimming pool located where the 'misadventure' happened? Get Solution →
6. Which body of water did Douglas's mother continually warn him against, calling it treacherous? Get Solution →
7. What was the maximum depth of the Y.M.C.A. pool? Get Solution →
8. What was the first incident that caused Douglas to have an aversion to water when he was three or four? Get Solution →

Did you know?

• 💡 The human body is made up of about 60% water.
• 💡 Aquaphobia is the specific name for the intense fear of water.
• 💡 A person can survive for weeks without food but only days without water.
• 💡 The deepest part of the ocean is deeper than Mount Everest is tall.
• 💡 The 'fight or flight' response is a natural reaction to danger.

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