Deep water
- 2. About the Author William Orville Douglas (1898-1980) was one of the most liberal and activist justices of the U.S. Supreme Court and a vigorous and controversial writer. was born on October 16, 1898, in Maine, Minnesota. When he was 6 his father died, leaving his mother and the three children to make their way on very little, so they moved in with relatives in Yakima, Washington.
- 3. But Douglas's aim was the law. He arrived at Columbia University Law School in 1922 almost penniless, and had to once again work his way through school doing tutoring and research for a law textbook. Douglas's life was transformed by President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, with its sense of social urgency and unparalleled opportunity for reform. An indomitable traveler, naturalist, mountain climber, lecturer, and writer, as well as teacher, administrator, and judge, Douglas reasserted the possibility of a many-faceted Renaissance existence as against a specialized, limited life.
- 4. He will be remembered as one of the few public figures who dared challenge convention and the Establishment during the middle of the 20th century.
- 5. • by William O. Douglas • Of Men and Moutains is a book of personal adventure and discovery of William O. Douglas. It is an account of the way Douglas and other men found a richer life in the mountains and how they found something else besides. • In such country Douglas has noted, "Men can find deep solitude and under conditions of grandeur that are startling, he can come to know both himself and God."
- 7. • A real-life personal account of experiencing fear and the steps taken to overcome it. Psychological analysis of fear
- 8. 1. The Introduction 2. The Misadventure 3. Overcoming Fear
- 9. • The ''Misadventure'' is an incident that took place at the Y.M.C.A Swimming pool when the Douglas was eleven years old. One day when Douglas was waiting by the side of the pool for company, a big bully picked him up and tossed into the deep end which was nine feet in depth. As he was not a good swimmer, Douglas went at once at the bottom and he had to undergo a long and intense suffering during these moments, till he was saved.
- 10. I used every way I knew to overcome this fear, but it held me firmly in its grip. Finally, one October, I decided to get an instructor and learn to swim. I went to a pool and practiced five days a week, an hour each day. The instructor put a belt around me. A rope attached to the belt went through a pulley that ran on an overhead cable. He held on to the end of the rope, and we went back and forth, back and forth across the pool, hour after hour, day after day, week after week. On each trip across the pool a bit of the panic seized me. Each time the instructor relaxed his hold on the rope and I went under, some of the old terror returned and my legs froze. It was three months before the tension began to slack. Then he taught me to put my face under water and exhale, and to raise my nose and inhale. I repeated the exercise hundreds of times. Bit by bit I shed part of the panic that seized me when my head
- 11. The experience had a deep meaning for me, as only those who have known stark terror and conquered it can appreciate. In death there is peace. There is terror only in the fear of death, as Roosevelt knew when he said, “All we have to fear is fear itself.” Because I had experienced both the sensation of dying and the terror that fear of it can produce, the will to live somehow grew in intensity.
- 12. At last I felt released — free to walk the trails and climb the peaks and to brush aside fear.
- 13. Conclusion: Roosevelt on FEAR “ All we have to fear is fear itself”
- 14. Fear is one of the most basic human emotions. It is programmed into the nervous system and works like an instinct. From the time we're infants, we are equipped with the survival instincts necessary to respond with fear when we sense danger or feel unsafe. Fear helps protect us. It makes us alert to danger and prepares us to deal with it. Feeling afraid is very natural — and helpful — in some situations. Fear can be like a warning, a signal that cautions us to be careful.
- 15. Like all emotions, fear can be mild, medium, or intense, depending on the situation and the person. A feeling of fear can be brief or it can last longer.
- 16. Fears People Have Fear is the word we use to describe our emotional reaction to something that seems dangerous. But the word "fear" is used in another way, too: to name something a person often feels afraid of. People fear things or situations that make them feel unsafe or unsure. For instance, someone who isn't a strong swimmer might have a fear of deep water. In this case, the fear is helpful because it cautions the person to stay safe. Someone could overcome this fear by learning how to swim safely.
- 17. Many people have a fear of public speaking. Whether it's giving a report in class, speaking at an assembly, or reciting lines in the school play, speaking in front of others is one of the most common fears people have. People tend to avoid the situations or things they fear. But this doesn't help them overcome fear — in fact, it can be the reverse. Avoiding something scary reinforces a fear and keeps it strong.
- 18. People can overcome unnecessary fears by giving themselves the chance to learn about and gradually get used to the thing or situation they're afraid of.
- 19. Fears During Childhood Certain fears are normal during childhood. That's because fear can be a natural reaction to feeling unsure and vulnerable — and much of what children experience is new and unfamiliar. Young kids often have fears of the dark, being alone, strangers, and monsters or other scary imaginary creatures. School-aged kids might be afraid when it's stormy or at a first sleepover. As they grow and learn, with the support of adults, most kids are able to slowly conquer these fears and outgrow them.
- 20. PHOBIAS A phobia is an intense fear reaction to a particular thing or a situation. With a phobia, the fear is out of proportion to the potential danger. But to the person with the phobia, the danger feels real because the fear is so very strong.
- 21. Phobias cause people to worry about, dread, feel upset by, and avoid the things or situations they fear because the physical sensations of fear can be so intense. So having a phobia can interfere with normal activities. A person with a phobia of dogs might feel afraid to walk to school in case he or she sees a dog on the way. Someone with an elevator phobia might avoid a field trip if it involves going on an elevator.
- 22. Someone might develop a bee phobia after being stung during a particularly scary situation. For that person, looking at a photograph of a bee, seeing a bee from a distance, or even walking near flowers where there could be a bee can all trigger the phobia. Having a phobia isn't a sign of weakness or immaturity. It's a response the brain has learned in an attempt to protect the person
- 23. People can learn to overcome phobias by gradually facing their fears. This is not easy at first. It takes willingness and bravery. Sometimes people need the help of a therapist to guide them through the process
- 24. Often, the hardest part of overcoming a phobia is getting started. Once a person decides to go for it — and gets the right coaching and support — it can be surprising how quickly fear can melt away.
- 27. QUESTIONS
- 28. The ‘misadventure’ William Douglas speaks about happened in the water-pool of Y.M.C.A. in Yakima. Douglas was about ten or eleven old at the time. He was trying to learn swimming with the help of his waterwings. One day while he was sitting on the side of the pool, a big bruiser of a boy suddenly picked him up and threw him into the nine feet deep water. Douglas used all his mind and might to come out on the surface and paddle to the edge of the pool. However, all his attempts failed. In the end he was so tired that he gave up all efforts to come out and lost consciousness. It was them that someone picked him up and brought him to the shore. He survived somehow but the incident haunted him till many days afterwards. This is the misadventure that William Douglas speaks about. What is the “misadventure” that William Douglas speaks about?
- 29. After his near death experience at the YMCA pool, Douglas started fearing water. He could not enjoy any water sports or go fishing. He decided to overcome his fear and learnt swimming again. He became confident and understood that ‘all that we have to fear is fear itself’. What deep meaning did his experience at the YMCA swimming pool have for Douglas?
- 30. When Douglas went down the water for the first time, he was afraid but confident with his mind working over a plan that as his feet will touch the floor, he will jump up and pop up like a cork on top and paddle to the edge of the pool. What did Douglas experience when he went down to the bottom of the pool for the first time?
- 31. The instructor adopted a systematic method to turn Douglas into a swimmer.The instructor put a belt around him. A rope attached to the belt went through a pulley then ran on an overhead cable. Thus, he was made to go back and forth across the pool hour after hour. Then he taught Douglas to breathe while swimming, and finally the leg movements and other strokes. How did the instructor turn Douglas into a swimmer?
- 32. Douglas took the help of an instructor. The instructor made Douglas swim five days a week. He was with Douglas for about six months when he was sure Douglas was able to swim alone he left. Finally, Douglas was able to swim the length of the pool up and down but he was not sure he had conquered his fear completely. He went to Wentworth lake and dived off and finally he went to Warm lake, dived and swam across to the other shore and came back. What efforts did Douglas make to get over his fear of water?
- 33. Value based questions Desire, determination and diligence lead to success. Explain the value of these qualities in the light of Douglas’ experience in ‘Deep Water’.
- 34. Douglas fully realised the truth of Roosevelt’s statement ‘All we have to fear is fear itself’. How did this realisation help him brush aside his fear and become an expert swimmer? HOTS