Summary of Deep Water
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. Students can refer to BYJU’S CBSE Summary to understand other English chapters in the Flamingo textbook. You can also refer to CBSE Notes for various learning materials and preparation tips for CBSE Class 12 English Examination.
CBSE Class 12 English Deep Water Summary
The author describes the journey of conquering his fear of water. He starts this account by narrating an unfortunate incident that took place when he was ten or eleven years old. He had decided to learn swimming at the Y.M.C.A pool because he felt that place was safer than the Yakima river in which accidental drownings were common.
He informs the readers that he had an aversion to water because of a past incident that had taken place when he was three or four years old. His father had taken him to the California beach, where he was knocked down brutally by the waves. He was buried in the water, and as a result, it created a fear of water in him. Nevertheless, he went to the Y.M.C.A pool to learn swimming with a newfound sense of confidence.
He started by paddling around in the water with his water wings. He tried copying the other boys who had come to swim in the pool. One day he arrived at the pool to find himself early and alone. He was scared of going into the water alone and waited for some other people to show up. A big muscular boy, eighteen years old, showed up, started bullying him and tossed him into the pool. He fell into the water in a sitting position and swallowed a lot of water. As he was drowning, he planned his comeback out of the water. He imagined he would kick off the floor of the pool as soon as he hit it.
When he finally felt the floor of the pool, the author kicked hard and made a big jump to rise to the surface level of the pool. But his ascent was not as rapid as he had expected. Instead, his ascent was slow and suffocating. He tried to scream, but no sound came out. Finally, when he could reach the surface and breathe, he drowned again. He tried to fight it, but his legs did not move. He started sinking towards the bottom of the pool again. Terror gripped him, and he screamed, but it was to no avail. He planned to jump off the floor of the pool and had barely reached the surface of the water when he started to sink again.
He felt too exhausted from trying and gradually went into a state of unconsciousness. The next thing he could remember was people talking. The boy who threw him into the water claimed he was just kidding around. Another person stated that the author was almost on his way to death. After he went home, he found himself weak and emotionally shaken – so much that even the simplest of exertion upset him.
A few years later, he realised that he was still seized by the terror of his past experience at the Y.M.C.A pool whenever he went to other water bodies. He would find himself paralysed by terror and unable to move his legs. This fear deprived him of the joys of swimming and boating in beautiful waterbodies. He tried to eliminate his fear in various ways, but it stayed with him.
One October, the author decided to learn swimming properly with the help of an instructor who used a step-by-step process to carry out this task. The author was made to practise swimming across the swimming pool back and forth with a rope tied around him. The other end of it was managed by his instructor. After three months of practice, he was taught to breathe under water. He was slowly overcoming his fear of water with this approach adopted by his instructor. After going through another practice set of kicking the water with his legs, while being held at the side of the pool, the instructor declared to the author that he was ready to swim.
Although the author received official approval of his swimming abilities from an instructor, he was not fully convinced. He tried swimming alone in a swimming pool till July. He observed that he could still experience little pangs of fear. He was unsatisfied with his improvement and swam two miles across Lake Wentworth. This time, his fear returned only once – when he put his face underwater in the middle of the lake.
He still had his doubts. So, he went swimming in the Warm Lake. To his surprise, he swam across the lake to the other shore and back without any trouble. He felt immense joy to discover that he was finally rid of his fear of water. The author cites this event as an important experience for him. He describes it as a feeling that only people who have known severe fear and conquered it can understand. He quotes Roosevelt to explain that there is peace in death, and the only thing we should fear is the fear of death itself.
Conclusion of Deep Water
Deep Water Class 12 Summary shows the result of showing courage in the face of fear. 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.
Understanding the deeper meanings involved in a piece of writing is very important to have a good grasp of literature. Students can find other articles and materials related to CBSE English for better command over the syllabus. They can also find other related topics like grammar and writing on BYJU’S website.
