William Orville Douglas developed a fear of water as a young child after being knocked over by waves at a beach in California. As a 10-year-old, a bully threw him into the deep end of a swimming pool, causing him to nearly drown and intensifying his hydrophobia. Years later, Douglas hired a swimming instructor and practiced daily for months until he was able to swim long distances with different strokes and overcome his childhood fear of water. Facing his fear took determination and courage.

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Vikram Singh Nagore

2. About the author
William Orville Douglas(1898-1980)
was born in Maine, Minnesota. He
completed his B.A. in English and
Economics. He was a legal adviser
of the American President Franklin
D. Roosevelt. He served thirty six
years at justice in the American
Court. His famous book is ‘Of Men
and Mountains’ from where the
lesson ‘Deep Water’ has been
extracted.
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3. ➢Autobiography of Douglas extracted from ‘Of Men and
Mountains’
➢Real –life personal account of experiencing childhood fear
➢Childhood fear to be tackled properly and at the correct time
➢Childhood aversion of water in the narrator, Douglas
➢Case of hydrophobia
➢Psychological analysis of fear
➢Determination to overcome such a fear
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4. Douglas developed aversion to
water
Three or four years old
Went along with his father to a
beach in California
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5. Waves knocked Douglas down
Swept over him
Terror of water sets in his heart
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6. The Yakima river – a tributary of the Columbia River
Dangerous – mother warned him against it to learn swimming
Kept fresh in his mind – each drowning in the river
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7. Y.M.C.A. swimming pool at the Yakima
Safe – decided to learn swimming there
2-3 feet deep at the shallow end
9 feet deep at the other end
The drop was gradual
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8. At 10 or 11 years age
Decided to learn swimming
Went to pool one day
Nobody was there
It was quiet
Fear of water still there
Better to wait for others
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9. A big bruiser of a boy,
probably 18 years old,
came and yelled –
“Hi, Skinny! How’d you
like to be ducked?”
The bully tossed Douglas
into the deep end.
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10. Douglas landed in a sitting
position , swallowed water ,
and went at once to the
bottom.
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11. Douglas’ Strategy –
When he hits the bottom
of the pool, he would make
a big jump and come to
the surface, lie flat on it,
and paddle to the edge of
the pool.
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12. It was a long way down.
Those nine feet appeared
to be more like ninety.
His lungs ready to burst.
He struck the bottom with
all his strength but it was
of no use.
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13. He flailed at the surface of
the water, swallowed and
choked. He tried to bring his
legs up, but they hung as dead
weights, paralyzed and rigid.
His lungs ached, head throbbed
and felt dizzy. Sheer, stark
terror seized him.
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14. Douglas tried the second time.
He made a jump but with no
difference. He looked for
ropes, ladders and water wings.
Nothing but a mass of yellow
water held him. Terror took
an even deeper hold on him,
like a great charge of
electricity.
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15. He started down for a third
time. He sucked for air and
got water. The yellowish light
was going out. All his efforts
ceased. He relaxed. His legs
also felt limp.
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16. A blackness swept over his brain.
It wiped out fear.
There was no more panic.
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17. It was quiet and peaceful.
Nothing to be afraid of.
“This is nice… to be drowsy
… to go to sleep… no need to
jump… too tired to jump…
it’s nice to be carried gently
… to float along in space…
tender arms around me…
tender arms like Mother’s…
now I must go to sleep…”
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18. ‘I crossed to oblivion,
and the curtain of life fell.’
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19. Somehow he was saved
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20. He stayed there for
several hours. then walked
home. He was weak and
trembling.
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21. For days a haunting fear
was in his heart. He never
went back to the pool.
He feared water.
He avoided it whenever
he could.
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22. He was deprived of the joy
of fishing, boating and
canoeing.
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23. A few years later Douglas
hired an instructor to learn
swimming.
He practiced five days a week,
an hour each day.
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24. The instructor used a belt and rope arrangement
to teach him swimming. This continued for three
months until the tension began to slack.
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25. Taught how to exhale under water
and inhale above water
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26. ❖Crawl Stroke
❖Breast Stroke
❖Side Stroke
❖Back Stroke
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27. After six months,
the instructor’s work was over
Douglas went to Lake Wentworth
to test himself of his fear
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28. He swam two miles across the lake to Stamp Act Island.
He swam all the strokes there. Only once the terror
returned to him. He challenged Mr. Terror and he fled.
Douglas had conquered his fear.
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29. American President
Franklin D. Roosevelt
remarked,
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30. The will to live is stronger than the fear of death.
One has to be determined and courageous.
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