How did Douglas react sharply to get over his fear of water?
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Write down the efforts made by William O. Douglas to overcome his terror of water. How did he conquer it?
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How did the instructor build a swimmer out of Douglas? (Expected)
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How did the swimming instructor build a swimmer out of Douglas?
On two different occasions, Douglas developed a stark terror of water. At the age of three or four he was standing on the beach of California with his father. There the waves swept over him and buried in the water. On the second occasion, he was thrown deep into the Y.M.C.A. pool by a muscular boy. He struggled hard and made three different attempts to get out of water but he went on deeper and deeper. A stark terror overpowered him. The very sight of the pool, river or lake seized him. He was followed by terror wherever he went. He realised that he could not enjoy boating, fishing, swimming or canoeing. He decided to overcome his fear.
He engaged an instructor and practised five days a week, an hour a day. He taught him swimming piece by piece. In the beginning he put a belt round Douglas. A rope was attached to the belt. The rope went through a pulley and the pulley ran on a overhead cable. He held on to the end of the rope. They went back and forth across the pool. A bit of panic seized Douglas. After three months his tension began to slacken. Then the instructor taught him to exhale under water and inhale outside it. This exercise was repeated hundreds of times. He made him a perfect swimmer piece by piece but Douglas had fear in his mind. To have a complete grip over it, he went to lake Wentsworth and dived off a dock at Triggs Island. He swam two miles across the lake. To remove his residual doubts, he dived into the Warm Lake and swam across to the other shore and backs. He shouted with joy that he had conquered his fear of water. Thus the writer bade goodbye to the terror for ever.
At one time he held the writer at the side of the pool and had kicked himself with his own legs. After weeks of practice, he could command his legs for swimming in the water.
How did Douglas develop an aversion to water?
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A big boy threw Douglas into the swimming pool. How did this experience affect Douglas?
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Point out the ‘misadventure’ that William Douglas had to encounter at the Y.M.CA. pool. What was its effect over the writer?
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“ There was terror in my heart at the overpowering force of the waves.” When did Douglas start fearing water? Which experience had further strengthened its hold on his mind and personality?
From the very beginning, Douglas was much eager to learn swimming. When he was three or four years old, his father took him to the beach in California. He was standing in the surf. A strong wave knocked him down and he was buried in water. His breath was gone. He was much frightened but his father was holding him. Even then, the boy was much terrified by the destructive force of the wave. He developed an aversion to water.
Next time, when he was ten or eleven years old he resolved to learn swimming. He went to the Y.M.C.A. pool at Yakima. He was sitting there alone waiting for others to come. A big muscular boy addressed him ‘Skinny’ and asked him to be ducked. He tossed up Douglas and threw him into the deep end of the pool. He went down to the bottom and got panicky. This experience further strengthened the terror and fear of water in his mind and personality.
How did Douglas make sure that he had conquered the old terror?
The instructor trained Douglas piece by piece and built him a fearless swimmer. He told him that he could swim, dive off and crawl stroke. The instructor was convinced that Douglas was free from terror but the latter feared lest the old terror should return back to him when he would go alone in the water. In order to satisfy himself, the writer tried again. He dived into the pool and swam the length up and down. Small traces of the old terror of the pool would return. But this time he could frown terror as shown by swimming the length of the pool. This went on from April to July but the author was not still satisfied.
Then he went to lake Wentworth in New Hamphshire and dived at Triggs Island. He swam across two miles across the lake to Stamp Act Island. On another occasion, he went and camped by the side of Warm Lake. The next morning he dived into the lake. He bade goodbye to terror. He swam across to the other shore and back. He shouted with joy. Now he conqured his fear of water and he could enjoy his water sports very well.
What were the series of emotions and fears that Douglas experienced when he was thrown into the pool? What plans did he make to come to the surface? (Expected).
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Write down the sense of panic and terror that gripped Douglas after he was thrown into the Y.M.C A. pool by a big boy.
Young Douglas was waiting at the Y.M.C.A. pool for other boys to come. There came a big bruiser of a boy and threw Douglas in the deep water. He landed in the water in a sitting position. At first he was frightened but he did not lose his wits. Going towards the bottom, he hatched a plan to come up to the surface by making a big jump. Then he would lie flat on it to paddle to the edge of the pool. He went up slowly and grow panicky. He was suffocating. He shouted but there was no sound. He tried to bring his legs up but a great force was pulling him under water.
His downward journey started. He was paralysed with terror. His legs turned limp. He was gripped with terror but was not still out of wits. He felt the tiles under him. He was crying under water for help but he sucked water. A blackness swept over him. He jumped with all his strength and made a third attempt. He came down under the water. He decided to stop all his efforts. He relaxed and there was no panic. He thought that the life of curtain had fallen. He crossed to oblivion when he got senses he was lying on his stomach beside the pool, vomitting.
Describe the various attempts that Douglas had to make while he was in the Y.M.CA. pool.
When Douglas was thrown into the nine feet deep Y.M.C.A. pool, he landed in a sitting position in the beginning. He swallowed water and went down at once to the bottom. On the way down he was frightened but not completely out of wits. His lungs were ready to brust but made a strategy to spring upwards on hitting the bottom. He came up slowly and saw the dirty water on all his sides. He wanted to cry for help but water entered in his mouth. His legs became paralysed stiff and rigid ? A great force was pulling him under. He started his back journey to the bottom for the second time. He could not bob to the surface like a cork as he had thought. He went down and down endlessly.
The sheer stark terror seized him. He was crying under water. He called his mother to help him but nothing happened. He looked for ropes, water ladders, water wings for help but there was no help. He was tremblilng with fear. He started down a third time. In place of air, he sucked water everytime. All his efforts stopped.
Black darkness covered his brain. There was no panic, no fear and no terror. It was calm and peaceful. It was nice and he felt sleepy as if he had been in his mother’s arms. The curtain of life fell and he lay unconcious.