Fear and William Douglas Essays

Fear and William Douglas Essays Fear and William Douglas Essay Fear and William Douglas Essay What is the ‘misadventure’ that William Douglas speaks about? William Douglas speaks about the ‘misadventure’ that when he was ten or eleven years old, a bruiser of a boy tossed him into the deep end of the YMCA pool. He was almost drowned but later luckily saved. After that incident he had the fear of water haunting his mind. 2. 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? When Douglas was thrown into the pool, he was frightened but alert. He retained his wits and focused on the solution rather than on the problem. He worked out a strategy to save himself by jumping from the bottom of the pool, coming next to the surface like a cork, lying flat on it and getting to the edge of the pool for safety. 3. How did this experience affect him? His experience at the YMCA pool affected him so badly that he feared water and avoided it as long as he could. It ruined his fishing trips, boating and swimming. 4. Why was Douglas determined to get over his fear of water? Douglas was determined to get over his fear of water to enjoy fishing, boating and swimming. Wherever he went, the haunting fear of water followed him. 5. How did the instructor â€Å"build a swimmer â€Å"out of Douglas? The instructor put a belt around Douglas attached with a rope that went through a pulley and held the other end of the rope. When the instructor relaxed his hold on the rope, Douglas went under water and became more afraid. Then he held him on the side of the pool and made him kick with his legs. Thus the instructor built a swimmer out of Douglas. 6. : How did Douglas make sure that he conquered the old terror? Douglas made sure that he conquered the old terror, the far of water by swimming two miles across Lake Wentworth in New Hampshire to Stamp Act Island. Further he swam the whole length to the shore back of Warm Lake to confirm that he had conquered his fear of water. 7. How does Douglas make clear to the reader the sense of panic that gripped him as he almost drowned? Describe the details that have made the description vivid. When Douglas was thrown into the YMCA pool he was totally frightened but did not lose his wits. He felt that the depth of the pool nine feet were more like ninety and his lungs were ready to burst before he touched the bottom. He feared and suffocated and tried to cry for help but no sound came out. His hands and legs became stiff and blackness swept over his brain. 8. How did Douglas overcome his fear of water? Douglas overcame his fear of water by hiring an instructor to learn swimming in a phased manner. The instructor put a belt around Douglas attached with a rope that went through a pulley and made him kick with his legs. It took Douglas three months to overcome his fear of water. 9. 10.