Deep Water Class 12 English Flamingo

Key Points of the Story 

• Deep Water is an excerpt from American jurist William Douglas’s book ‘Of Men and Mountains’. 
• It is an autobiographical account of the author’s experience with fear. 
• A fear of water had taken root in him during a visit to the beach with his father when he was a child. 
• When he wanted to overcome this fear after some years by learning swimming, he encountered another terrible incident which exposed him to a near-death experience. 
• The chapter tells us how he did not let that fear hold sway over him. 
• When you read Deep Water Class 12 Summary, you will discover a journey of willpower and resolution that leads the author towards a stage of life where he is no longer haunted by his fear of water.

Detailed Summary 

The author recounts their journey of overcoming a fear of water, commencing with a childhood incident. Around the age of ten or eleven, they decided to learn swimming at the Y.M.C.A pool due to its perceived safety compared to the treacherous Yakima river. The fear of water had its roots in a traumatic event when the author was three or four years old, knocked down by waves at a California beach, leading to a deep-seated fear of water. Despite this, the author eventually gained the confidence to learn to swim at the Y.M.C.A pool.
Their swimming journey began tentatively with the use of water wings, imitating other boys at the pool. One day, they found themselves alone at the pool and waited for companions. However, an intimidating, muscular eighteen-year-old boy arrived, who bullied and forcefully threw the author into the water. The experience was harrowing as they struggled to keep afloat, but they managed to reach the pool floor and devised a plan to escape the water. When they kicked off the pool floor, the ascent was slower and more suffocating than expected, leaving them unable to scream. Panic set in as they attempted to reach the surface but started sinking again.
Exhaustion led to unconsciousness, and they were rescued by others. The perpetrator claimed it was a joke, but someone else acknowledged the near-fatal situation. This incident left the author physically and emotionally weakened.
Years later, the fear still haunted the author when they encountered water, rendering them paralyzed and unable to move their legs. Attempts to conquer this fear proved futile. However, one October, the author decided to take swimming lessons with a step-by-step approach from an instructor. They practiced swimming with a rope tied around them, gradually improving their confidence. After three months of practice, they learned to breathe underwater and continued with leg-kicking exercises. The instructor eventually declared the author ready to swim.
Despite the instructor's approval, the author remained skeptical and continued to swim alone, noticing lingering traces of fear. To test their progress, they swam two miles across Lake Wentworth and experienced fear only once, underwater in the middle of the lake.
Doubt still lingered, so the author swam in Warm Lake and was pleasantly surprised to swim across and back without any difficulty. This marked a significant turning point, and the author described it as a profound feeling that only those who have faced and conquered intense fear can comprehend. The author quoted Roosevelt, emphasizing that the only thing to fear is the fear of death itself.

Conclusion 

We may have many causes for fear in life, but that should not decide who we are – especially when it is about death. The fear of death itself might prevent us from experiencing so many wonderful things in life. William Douglas sets an example of this through his biographical account of his experience with the fear of water. He did not let the fear of water overpower him, and his strong resolution to eradicate this fear was successful after a long process of hard work and determination.

Difficult Words

Word - Meaning

• Treacherous - Dangerous, Unpredictable
• Misadventure - Accident, Bad luck
• Subdued my pride - Reduced or lowered self-respect
• Bob to the surface like a cork - Float quickly to the surface like a cork
• Flailed at the surface - Strike repeatedly at the surface
• Curtain of life fell - Life ended
• Fishing for landlocked salmon - Catching salmon fish in a lake not connected to sea
• Back and forth across the pool - One end to opposite end of the pool
• YMCA - Young Men’s Christian Association
• Treacherous - Dangerous, Unpredictable
• Continually - Regularly
• Water wings - Airbags worn to keep a swimmer afloat
• Skinny - Thin
• Subdued - Lowered
• Pride - Self respect
• Aversion - Dislike, Hatred
• Surf - Waves of sea
• Hung on - Held tightly, Gripped
• Knocked down - Threw down,
• Buried - Submerged
• Overpowering - Powerful to overcome
• Revived - Refreshed
• Stirred - Revived, Rekindled,
• In a little while - In short period of time, Very soon
• Paddled - Swam
• Aping - Copying
• Feel at ease - Confident, Comfortable
• Misadventure - Accident
• Timid - Afraid, Scared
• Bruiser - Strong and aggressive person
• Rippling - Well built, Strong
• Skinny - Thin
• Yelled - Shouted
• Ducked - Pushed under or into water
• Wits - Intelligence, Inventive thoughts
• Out of my wits - Not able to think
• Long way - Very far
• Hit bottom - Touched bottom
• Summoned - Gathered
• Spring - Jump
• Bob to the surface like a cork - Float quickly to the surface like a cork
• Tinge - Light shade of colour
• Panicky - Frightened
• Grab - To catch
• Clutch - To hold, To catch
• Suffocate - Not able to breathe
• Flailed - Repeatedly moved hand and legs
• Chocked - Suffocated
• Dead Weight - Heavy, Not moving
• Screamed - Shouted
• Expending - Spending, Wasting, Utilising
• Nightmare - Horror, Very bad experience
• Irresistible - That cannot be opposed or overcome
• Throbbed - Feel pain in series of beats
• Dizzy - Feeling of spinning around, To faint
• Strategy - Plan
• Strike out - Move to make a cross
• Thrash - Beat
• Sheer - Complete, Perfect
• Stark - Clear cut, Sharp
• Terror - Horror, Fear
• Seized - Captured, Overcame
• Shrieking - Shouting
• Screams - Shouts
• Pounding - Beating
• Midst of - Middle of
• Reason - Logic, Ability to think
• Grab - To catch, To hold
• At last - Finally
• Stark terror - Lot of terror, Harsh Terror
• Deeper hold - Stronger hold
• Trembled - Quivered, Shook
• Fright - Fear
• Strangely - Peculiarly
• Awful - Terrible, Frightful
• Ceased - Stopped
• Legs felt limp - Legs became weak, Legs had no sensation
• Wiped out - Removed, Erased
• Panic - Fear, Terror
• Drowsy - Feel like sleeping, Heavy eyed
• Tender - Soft
• Oblivion - Unconscious
• Curtain of life fell - Died
• Beside the pool - On the side of pool
• Chap - Person
• Fooling - Having fun, For fun
• Haunting - Unforgettable, Coming to memory repeatedly
• Wobbly - Shaky, Trembling
• Exertion - Stress, Tiredness
• Sick to stomach - Likely to vomit
• Cascades - Series of small waterfalls
• Wading - Walking with great efforts
• Icy horror - Chilling horror
• Grab - Catch, Occupy
• Handicap - Disadvantage
• Canoe - Boat
• Salmon - Type of fish
• Landlocked salmon - Salmon fish in a lake not connected to sea
• Bass - Type of fish
• Trout - Type of fish
• Ruined - Destroyed, Irreparable damage
• Deprived of - Removed, Took away
• A bit of - Small amount
• Relaxed his hold - Loosened the rope
• Froze - Did not move
• Slack - Reduce
• Exhale - To breathe out
• Inhale - To breathe in
• Bit by bit - Slowly, Gradually
• Shed - Removed, Threw away
• Piece by piece - Part by part, Step by step
• Integrated - Combined
• Crawl stroke - A style of swimming
• Tiny - Very small, Minute
• Vestiges - Remainder, Trace
• Frown - To glare, To face
• Residual - Remaining, Left over
• Hurried - Went quickly
• Meadow - Grass field, Grassland
• Camped - Stayed temporarily, Stay in tent for short time
• Deep Meaning - Great importance, Big effect
• Appreciate - Understand
• Released - Relaxed
• Trail - A narrow path
• Brushed aside - Neglected, Refused to accept