ANNUAL PREPARATORY PROGRAMME FOR ENHANCEMENT IN

ACADEMICS AND REVISION (APPEAR)

CLASS XII, ENGLISH CORE - 301
MODULE - XII (DEEP WATER)
Module Detail
Subject Name English Core
Course Name Annual Preparatory Programme for Enhancement in Academics
and Revision (APPEAR) in English for Class XII
Module Name/Title Deep Water
Module Id lefl_10301
Pre-requisite Knowledge of fear, overcoming fear, determination,
perseverance, discipline, courage, vocabulary related to
swimming and state of mind of a fear-stricken person
Learning outcomes After carefully reading this module and doing the suggested
activities, you will:

• analyze the factors that caused fear of water in the

writer’s mind,
• describe the Y.M.C.A Pool (factual description),
• analyze the impact of fear and steps followed by the
author to overcome it,
• make a list of the vocabulary related to water bodies
and swimming,
• locate the verbs of senses and verbs of actions that
the narrator used to describe the misadventure at
YMCA Pool,
• understand the message/ underlying meaning of the
story,
• infer the meaning of perseverance through the
 narrator’s personal experience, and,
• interpret 21st century skills through the thematic
expression of Deep Water.
Keywords Treacherous, drowning, fear-stricken, misadventure, oblivion,
brush aside, perseverance

2. Development Team

Role Name Affiliation

National MOOC Coordinator Prof. Amarendra P. Behera CIET, NCERT, New Delhi
Program Coordinator Dr. Rejaul Karim Barbhuiya CIET, NCERT, New Delhi
Course Coordinator Dr. Ganga Mahto NCERT, RIE, Bhopal
Course Co-Coordinator Ms. Heman Mehlawat CIET, NCERT, New Delhi
Subject Matter Expert Mr. Balaji Marakwar Kendriya Vidyalaya, NDA, Pune
Content Reviewer Prof. Kirti Kapur DEL, NCERT, New Delhi

CONTENTS
1. Introduction
2. Three factors that caused the fear
3. Series of emotions and fears
4. Effect on the writer
5. Decision to overcome the fear of water
6. 21st century skills from the chapter
7. Let us sum up
8. References
INTRODUCTION

The following excerpt is taken from Of Men and Mountains by William O. Douglas that was
published in 1950. It reveals how as a young boy William Douglas nearly drowned in a
swimming pool. The essay talks about the personal experience of the narrator. His early
childhood days, his fear of water and his determination to conquer his fear provide the insights
into the world of vibrant and thrilling story of his childhood days. The factors that caused fear in
him. How fear made him different and fear-stricken is key part of this personal account. His
determination to learn swimming under proper guidance teaches us a lesson to achieve
something by virtue of planning and perseverance.
He could succeed to set an example for those who are the victim of low confidence or inferiority
complex but want to get over it. Nothing is impossible if the person determines positively to
accomplish it.

Pre-reading activities

You will make the list of the qualities that you need to be successful. It will help you to analyse
the characters of the story.
What qualities should you possess to get the success?
- hard work
- willpower
- continuity in attempts
- access to proper guidance
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Self-assessment by writing your strength and weaknesses. It helps you to understand your
potential.

Strong points Weak Points

- work hard - fear of failure

- am positive - lack continuity
- ambitious - become nervous
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -

Today you will study about an awe inspiring experience of the narrator which changed his entire
perspective on life. He has shared his childhood experience about swimming and how he learnt
it. He developed an aversion to the water because of some unfortunate incidents.

Activity-1
Listening & Reading

Listen to the audio text and while listening to the audio text, follow the text book carefully.
https://ciet.nic.in/pages.php?id=flamingo&ln=en (audio text)
https://ncert.nic.in/textbook.php?lefl1=3-14 (textbook)

Select the words for each column that you came across in the text.
(Water wings, swimming pool, drowning, dive off, breast stroke, paddle, sidestroke, frightened,
panicky, dizzy, experience, ached, pounding, throbbing, swim, laugh, paddle, flail, pull, spring,
throw, pick, toss, thrash, jump, carry, shook, strip, build, seem, hear, imagine, feel, understand,
see, hear, imagine, feel, warned, hated, handicap, misadventure, paralysed, terror, terror-stricken,
haunting, scream, horror, shrieking, tension, opportunity, confidence, wit, strength, expend,
satisfied, conquer, appreciate, free, relaxed)

Words Words Words Words that Words that Action Verbs/

related to describe describe have have verbs Words of
swimming mental physical negative positive senses
condition activities connotation connotation
1
2
3
4
5

Three factors that caused fear in the mind of the narrator

Age 3 to 4 years old 8 or 9 years old 10 or 11 years old

Person-cause His father His mother A big bruiser (a bully boy)
Place The beach in The Yakima river Y. M. C. A. Pool
California
Result/ Huge waves Treacherous Created a negative picture
Impression frightened about water bodies

• The narrator is talking about his personal experience.

• He decided to learn how to swim when he was 10 or 11 years old.
• He was living in the town of Yakima.
• It is situated on the bank of the Yakima River.
• But the river was treacherous (deceptive).
• His mother continually warned against it.
• His mother kept fresh in his mind the details of each drowning in the river.
• It caused a fear of water in him.
Y. M. C. A. Pool
• There was a pool at the Y. M. C. A. in Yakima.
• It offered the opportunity to him.
• It was safe.
• It was only two or three feet at the shallow end.
• It was 9 feet deep on other end.
• The drop was gradual.
• The narrator got a pair of water wings and went to the pool.

Inferiority complex
• He hated to walk naked into the pool.
• He didn't want to show his skinny legs.
• But he overcame it and did it.

He had an aversion (natural hatred) to the water

• That caused fear in him of water when he was three or four years old.
• His father took him to the beach in California.
• He and his father stood together in the surf (a wave).
• He held his father tightly however the waves knocked him down and swept him over.
• He was buried in water.
• His breath was gone.
• He was frightened.
• His father laughed.
• There was terror in his heart at the overpowering force of the waves.
• Negative parenting- He became fear- stricken because of his mother and father.

His introduction to the Y. M. C. A. swimming pool

• It revived unpleasant memories and stirred childish fears.
• He gathered his confidence to overcome it.
• He paddled (walk about in water only a few centimeter deep) with his new water wings.
 • He watched the other boys and tried to learn by imitating them.
• He did it two or three times on different days.
• He was just beginning to feel at ease (comfortable) in the water when the misadventure
happened.

Activity- 2
Based on the above-mentioned discussion, you will do the following activity. It will help you to
assess the comprehensive understanding of the text.

1. Which river is mentioned in the essay?

A. The Yakima
B. The Maches
C. The Tleton
D. The Teanaway

2. How does the narrator’s mother describe the Yakima river?

A. Treacherous
B. Insecure
C. Dangerous
D. Dismal

3. Which pool is the safe to learn swimming in the Yakima?

A. Lake Wentworth
B. Yakima
C. Bumping lake
D. Y.M.C.A.

4. How old was he when the Y.M.C.A. misadventure happened?

A. 3 to 4 years old
B. 2 to 3 years old
C. 10 to 11 years old
D. 18 years old
5. Who picked him up and tossed him into the deep end?
A. His father
B. A bully boy
C. His instructor
D. His friend

The misadventure at Y.M.C.A.

Misadventure Series of emotions and Physical His attempts/ plans to

fears he experienced condition come to the surface
while getting drowned
A strong boy of He was frightened, but He was getting He planned- when his feet
18 years old not out of his wits. tired. hit the bottom, he would
picked him up He grew panicky. His lungs were make a big jump, come to
and tossed into ready to burst. the surface, lie flat on it,
the water. and paddle to the edge of
the pool.
He didn’t know He was screaming, His legs hung as He gathered all his
whether the crying for help, dead weights. strength and made what he
narrator could he was looking for his They became thought was a great spring
swim or not. mother. paralyzed and upwards,
He was suffocating. rigid. He tried to bring his legs
up.
Later he made it He was getting dizzy. His lungs ached, He remembered the
clear that he was Terror seized him head throbbed. strategy- he would spring
just making fun completely. from the bottom of the
of him. pool and come like a cork
to the surface.
 Had the narrator He was paralyzed. He felt weak, He jumped with
not rescued, he He lost his confidence. almost dead. everything he had.
would have died. He was losing his control His arms and legs He tried to call for help.
over him. didn’t move. He went down thrice.
He shook and trembled His legs felt limp.
with fright.
He was getting
unconscious.
He crossed to oblivion.

Activity- 3
Writing task

Rewrite the given paragraphs in present tenses from the point of view of a third person by using
third person personal pronouns to find out which style of narration is more effective.

“I flailed at the surface of the water, swallowed and choked. I tried to bring my legs up, but they
hung as dead weights, paralysed and rigid. A great force was pulling me under. I screamed, but
only the water heard me. I had started on the long journey back to the bottom of the pool.
I struck at the water as I went down, expending my strength as one in a nightmare fights an
irresistible force. I had lost all my breath. My lungs ached, my head throbbed. I was getting
dizzy.”

This experience affected him

The immediate effect of the misadventure was that he was weak and trembling. He couldn't eat
anything. This experience affected him a lot. It made him a victim of low confidence. He feared
all kinds of water bodies and avoided going near any water body if he could. He lost his
confidence. He confined himself to the four walls. He became isolated. He became pessimistic.
He could not go for fishing, canoeing, boating and swimming.

He decided to overcome his fear of water

He was a man of determination. He did not want to quit or give up. He used every way he knew
to overcome this fear but it held him firmly in its grip. Finally, he decided to get an instructor
and learn swimming professionally. He did the practice with full of confidence under the abled
guidance of the instructor. He practiced for 5 days a week, an hour each day.
He did it for 6 to 7 months. This journey of confidence building from October to April gave him
a new perspective to assess situations with more confidence. The instructor taught him how to
inhale, exhale and kick into the water. The instructor helped him to build a perfect swimmer in
him. Though he had learnt how to swim with the help of the instructor, he was not satisfied. He
wanted to test his level of confidence by swimming alone at the Lake Wentworth. He swam
there as a perfect swimmer. There he enjoyed crawling, breaststroke, side stroke and backstroke.
He made fun of the terror that made him paralyzed some time back.

Activity-4
On the basis of the above interpretation select the appropriate points to describe his
condition for each column.
1. Fear-stricken
2. Weak
3. Trembling
4. With low confidence
5. Isolated
6. Pessimistic
7. Deprived of water body activities
8. Fear of water
9. Avoided water bodies
10. Practice with full of confidence
11. Faith in his ability
12. Swims with confidence
13. Takes decision independently
14. Satisfied
15. Enjoyed water body activities/swimming
16. Made fun of the terror
17. Analyzed the fear
18. Learnt a lesson from his experience
 In the presence of fear In the absence of fear
1 1
2 2
3 3
4 4
5 5
6 6
7 7
8 8
9 9

This experience had a deep meaning for him

He remembered the real analysis of fear given by President Roosevelt “All we have to fear is
fear itself”. The narrator thought that who could appreciate him those who knew the stark terror
and conquered it like him. He could succeed to brush aside his fear of water by virtue of
perseverance and strong will power. He had deep meaning from his experience. It was the will to
live somehow grim in intensity.

Activity-5
Complete the following table of problem solving with the help of the following points. Use the
statements given against the tenets of problem solving procedure.
A. The narrator gathered confidence and started paddling with his new water wings.
B. He wanted to test his level of confidence by swimming alone at the Lake Wentworth.
C. The instructor built a swimmer, he had perfected each piece, he put them together
into an integrated whole.
D. He went to a pool and practiced five days a week, an hour each day.
E. Finally, one October, he decided to get an instructor and learn to swim.
F. He used every way he knew to overcome this fear, but it held him firmly in its grip.
G. He went to Lake Wentworth, dived into the lake and swam just as Doug Corpron
used to do.
H. He was deprived of the joy of canoeing, boating, and swimming.
 Tenets Statements
1. Positive attitude

2. Cope with stress

3. Acquire information

4. Awareness and
direction
5. Communicate and
empathize
6. Team work and
collaborate
7. Think critical and
creative
8. Take decision and
solve problems

LET US SUM UP

It describes the journey of a fear-stricken boy who was the victim of a negative parenting. He
wanted to learn swimming but the three factors that caused a fear of water in him. He finally
overcame it by virtue of his undaunted nature and indomitable spirit. The causes of his fear of
water were incident at the beach in California, misadventure at YMCA pool and negative picture
of the Yakima River. Impact of his fear was pervasive. He lost his confidence. He lived with the
fear of water for many years. This haunting anxiety ruined/destroyed all his fishing trips and
activities related to water sports. He devised the strategy to overcome the fear. He hired the
instructor who built a confidence in him. Proper guidance, continuous practice, strong
determination and faith in one’s attempt will help anyone to get over the problems in life. That is
the universal message given by his experience. He has proved that all we have to fear is fear
itself. His experience gives us a universal message that fear makes human paralysed or almost
dead but courage, self-confidence, grit, patience and determination brush the fear aside.

ANSWERS

Activity -1

Words Words Words Words that Words that Action Verb/

related to describe describe have negative have positive verbs
Words of
swimming mental physical connotation connotation
senses
condition activities
Water Frightened Swim Warned Opportunity Swim Seem
Wings Panicky Laugh Hated Confidence Laugh
Hear
Swimming Dizzy Paddle Handicap Wit Paddle
Pool Ached Flail Misadventure Strength Flail Imagine

Drowning Pounding Pull Paralysed Expend Pull Feel

Dive Off Throbbing Spring Terror Satisfied Spring
Understand
Breast Tension Throw Terror- Conquer Throw
Stroke Experience Pick Stricken Appreciate Pick See
Paddle Toss Haunting Free Toss
Sidestroke Thrash Scream Relaxed Thrash
Jump Horror Jump
Carry Shrieking Carry
Shook Tension Shook
Strip Strip
Build Build
Activity-2

1. A

2. A

3. D

4. C

5. B

Activity-3

“He flails at the surface of the water, swallows and chokes. He tries to bring his legs up, but they
hang as dead weights, paralysed and rigid. A great force is pulling him under. He screams, but
only the water hears him. He has started on the long journey back to the bottom of the pool.

He strikes at the water as he goes down; expending his strength as one in a nightmare fights an
irresistible force. He has lost all his breath. His lungs ache, his head throbs. He is getting dizzy.”

Activity-4

In the presence of fear In the absence of fear

1. Fear-stricken 1. Practice with full of confidence
2. Weak 2. Faith in his ability
3. Trembling 3. Swims with confidence
4. With low confidence 4. Takes decision independently
5. Isolated 5. Satisfied
6. Pessimistic 6. Enjoyed water body
7. Deprived of water body activities/swimming
activities 7. Made fun of the terror
8. Fear of water 8. Analyzed the fear
9. Avoided water bodies 9. Learnt a lesson from his experience
Activity-5

Tenets Statements
1 A
2 F
3 E
4 H
5 D
6 C
7 G
8 B

REFERENCES

1. NCERT (Ed). (2012). Flamingo (text book in English for class XII)
2. Turnbull, J. (2010) Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Oxford University Press.
3. https://ciet.nic.in/pages.php?id=accesstoedu&ln=en&ln=en (audio text book)

PRACTICE QUESTIONS

1. What does he fear of? And what are the reasons of his fear?
2. What were the series of emotions and fears that Douglas experienced when he was
thrown into the pool?
3. How did the presence of fear affect him?
4. How did the instructor ‘build a swimmer’ out of Douglas?
5. Doing well in any activity, for example a sport, music, dance or painting, riding a
motorcycle or a car, involves a great deal of struggle. Most of us are very nervous to
begin with until gradually we overcome fears and perform well.
Write/ deliver a speech of about five paragraphs recounting such an experience. Try to
recollect minute details of what caused the fear, your feelings, the encouragement you got
from others or criticism.