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Deep Water
How did Douglas make sure that he conquered the old terror?
The instructor piece by piece built Douglas a swimmer and told him that he could swim, dive off and crawl stroke. When Douglas tried and swam the length up and down, small traces of the old terror of the pool would return. He was not sure that all the terror had left. So he went to Lake Wentworth, dived at Triggs Island, swam two miles across the lake to Stamp Act Island. He swam and had different stroks. Once he was in the middle of the lake and put his face under water he saw nothing but bottomless water, he was overpowered by terror. He had to say, “Well Mr. Terror ! What do you think? What can you can do to me?”
At his first opportunity he hurried west and swam across the Warm Lake and back. He shouted with joy. Now he was sure that he had conquered his fear of water.
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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?
How did this experience affect him?
Why was Douglas determined to get over his fear of water?
How did the instructor 'build a swimmer’ out of Douglas?
How did Douglas make sure that he conquered the old terror?
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.
How did Douglas overcome his fear of water?
Why does Douglas as an adult recount a childhood experience of terror and his conquering of it? What larger meaning does he draw from this experience?
“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.
Find and narrate other stories about conquest fear and what people have said about courage. For example, you can recall Nelson Mandela’s courage and his 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 that helped the family service under the direst stress.
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