The Deep Water

                                THE DEEP WATER 

                                      SUMMARY

 

About DEEP WATER

The lesson ‘deep water’ is taken from ‘Of Man and Mountains’ by William Douglas. It describes how as a young boy, the narrator was nearly drowned in a swimming pool. In this essay, he talks about his fear of water and thereafter how he finally overcame it.

1. Decided to learn to swim

The narrator decided to learn to swim there was a pool at Y.M.C.A. It offered him a good opportunity. Swimming in the Yakima River was quite dangerous. His mother had warned against it. But the Y.M.C.A pool was safe for swimming. It was 2 to 3 feet deep at the shallow end. At the deep end, it was nine feet. William Douglas had a fear of water from the beginning. Once he stood at the beach with his father. A wave of water swept over him and knocked him down. He was buried in water. He was frightened. The Y.M.C.A pool revived those fears.

2. The misadventure at Y.M.C.A pool

The narrator was alone at the pool. He didn’t go inside the water alone. Then comes a big bully/strong boy. He was a powerful boy.’ He cried “hi Skinny!” Then he picked the narrator up and tossed /threw him into the deep water end. He went at once to the bottom. He was frightened but not out of his wits/mind. He decided to make a big jump from the bottom. He would try to come to the surface. He would lie flat the water. Finally, he would try to come to the edge of the pool.

3. He felt helpless

Those nine feet were more like ninety. His lungs were ready to burst. But when he hit the bottom, he gathered all his strength. He made great spring upwards He came up rather slowly. He felt helpless. He was suffocating. He tried to cry but no sound came out. He swallowed water and choked. His legs were paralyzed and rigid/strict.

4. Went under-water

A great force pulled him under-water. He was getting dizzy. He went down endlessly. Then great terror seized him. His arms would not move. He tried to call for help. Nothing happened. He wanted air but got only water. Then all efforts ceased/stopped. He felt like sleeping. After some time he found himself lying on his stomach beside the pool. He was vomiting. The boy who threw him said that he was ‘only joking’. But the narrator had nearly died.

5. Fear continuously haunted him

For many days he was constantly haunted by the fear. He never went back to the pool. He feared water and avoided it whenever he could. Whenever he went near water, the terror would seize him. His legs got paralyzed. The fear stayed with him as the years rolled by/passed by.

6. Got an instructor and learned swimming

The narrator got an instructor. He went to a pool. He practiced five days a week. The instructor put a belt around him. A rope attached to the belt went through a pulley. On each trip across the pool, a bit of panic/fear seized him. It was three months before the tension began to disappear. He taught the narrator how to put his face under-water and exhale. And then how to raise his nose and inhale. He repeated the exercise hundreds of times.

7. At last, he conquered his fear

Next, the instructor taught him how to kick with his legs. For many weeks he did a lot of practice. At first, his legs refused to work when he went near the water. But finally, he could command them. At last, the instructor made him a real swimmer. But he still feared to be alone in the pool. This went on until July. So he went to Lake Wentworth and dived off a dock at Trigg’s island. He swam without fear and he swam in water two times. Finally. he had conquered his fear of water.