Deep Water Class 12 animation

Summary

The narrator recounts a childhood trauma of nearly drowning in a pool, which instilled a lifelong fear of water. Despite this, they eventually sought to overcome their fear by taking swimming lessons as an adult. Through consistent practice and the guidance of an instructor, they gradually conquered their terror, finding peace and freedom in the water, symbolizing the broader triumph over the fear of death itself.

Takeaways

• 🏊‍♂️ The protagonist's journey to overcome his fear of water began with learning to swim at a YMCA pool.
• 🌊 A childhood experience of being overwhelmed by waves at a beach instilled a deep fear of water.
• 😨 The fear was rekindled at the YMCA pool, where he faced a traumatic event of being thrown into the deep end.
• 🆘 Despite his initial attempts to stay afloat, he nearly drowned, which intensified his fear of water.
• 👦 The incident involved a bully who threw him into the deep end, highlighting the role of peer aggression in his trauma.
• 🏋️‍♂️ His physical weakness and inability to swim contributed to his helplessness during the near-drowning experience.
• 🤔 The protagonist's repeated attempts to reach the surface and breathe showcased his determination to survive.
• 😱 The experience of being underwater and struggling to breathe induced a state of sheer terror.
• 🏥 He was rescued and survived the incident, but the trauma affected him for years.
• 🌟 Years later, with the help of a swimming instructor, he systematically overcame his fear through consistent practice.
• 🏞️ Conquering his fear allowed him to enjoy water activities and appreciate the tranquility of nature.
• 🧠 The narrative illustrates the psychological impact of fear and the power of the mind to overcome it.

Q & A

How old was the narrator when they decided to learn to swim?

The narrator was 10 or 11 years old when they decided to learn to swim.

What was the narrator's initial feeling towards the water?

The narrator had a dislike to the water, which started when they were three or four years old due to a traumatic experience at the beach.

What happened to the narrator when they were thrown into the deep end of the pool by the big boy?

The narrator was thrown into the deep end of the pool by a big boy and struggled to reach the surface, experiencing intense fear and the sensation of suffocating.

What was the narrator's strategy to escape from the deep end of the pool?

The narrator planned to jump from the bottom of the pool to reach the surface, then lie flat on the water and paddle to the edge.

How did the narrator's experience at the pool affect their fear of water?

The experience intensified the narrator's fear of water, causing them to avoid it whenever possible and affecting their enjoyment of activities like fishing, canoeing, and swimming.

What did the narrator do to overcome their fear of water?

The narrator decided to get an instructor and learn to swim, practicing five days a week for an hour each day.

How did the swimming instructor help the narrator to overcome their fear?

The instructor used a belt and rope system to support the narrator, gradually teaching them to put their face under water, exhale, and kick their legs until they could swim.

What was the turning point for the narrator in conquering their fear?

The turning point was when the narrator swam across a lake and faced their fear, laughing at the terror and realizing it could no longer control them.

What did the narrator learn from their experience of conquering fear?

The narrator learned that there is peace in death and that terror only exists in the fear of death, leading to a newfound appreciation for life and freedom from fear.

How did the narrator's perspective on fear change after their experience?

The narrator's perspective changed to understand that fear itself is the only thing to fear, as stated by Roosevelt, and that experiencing terror can lead to a stronger will to live.

Outlines

00:00

🏊‍♂️ Overcoming Childhood Fear of Water

The narrator recounts a childhood experience of learning to swim at a YMCA pool by the Yakima River. Despite initial fear and a traumatic incident where he was thrown into the deep end by an older boy, leading to a near-drowning experience, he eventually learns to swim with the help of an instructor. This experience, however, leaves a lasting fear of water that affects him for years.

05:01

🌊 Facing and Overcoming the Fear of Drowning

After the traumatic incident, the narrator describes the profound fear that grips him whenever he encounters water. This fear is so intense that it prevents him from enjoying various water activities. Years later, he decides to confront this fear by taking swimming lessons. Through consistent practice and the help of an instructor, he gradually learns to swim and starts to diminish his fear.

10:06

🏞️ Conquering the Fear and Embracing Life

In the final paragraph, the narrator shares his journey to completely overcome his fear of water. After months of practice, he tests his newfound confidence by swimming across a lake. He realizes that the fear of death is the only thing that causes terror, and by facing his fears, he feels liberated and free to enjoy life without the burden of fear.

Keywords

💡Fear

Fear is an emotional response to a perceived threat or danger. In the video script, fear is a central theme, particularly the protagonist's fear of water stemming from a traumatic childhood experience. This fear becomes a symbol of the internal battles one must face and overcome. The script illustrates this through the protagonist's repeated encounters with water, each time highlighting the struggle between his fear and his desire to conquer it.

💡Trauma

Trauma refers to a deeply distressing or disturbing experience that has a lasting impact on a person's mental health. The script mentions the protagonist's childhood trauma of being thrown into deep water, which instills a lifelong fear of drowning. This trauma is a driving force behind the protagonist's narrative, as he grapples with the psychological effects of his past experience.

💡Overcoming

Overcoming implies the act of surmounting or getting the better of a difficulty or challenge. The protagonist's journey is one of overcoming his fear of water, which is a significant part of the video's narrative. His progression from being terrified in the pool to swimming across a lake represents personal growth and the triumph over adversity.

💡Water Wings

Water wings are inflatable devices worn on the arms to help a person float and stay afloat in water. In the script, water wings symbolize the protagonist's initial reliance on external support to face his fear. They represent the beginning of his journey towards self-reliance and confidence in the water.

💡Drowning

Drowning is the process of experiencing respiratory impairment from submersion in liquid. The fear of drowning is a recurring motif in the script, as it is the source of the protagonist's terror. The vivid descriptions of near-drowning experiences serve to intensify the emotional impact and the severity of his fear.

💡Confidence

Confidence is the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something; self-assurance. In the video, the protagonist's growing confidence in swimming is a measure of his progress in overcoming fear. It is evident in his increased comfort in the water and his ability to perform swimming exercises without panic.

💡Instructor

An instructor is a person who teaches or instructs, especially in a specialized field. In the script, the instructor plays a pivotal role in the protagonist's journey to conquer his fear. He represents guidance and support, using a rope and belt to help the protagonist learn to swim and gradually letting go as his student gains confidence.

💡Paralysis

Paralysis is the loss or impairment of the ability to move some or all of one's body. In the context of the script, the protagonist experiences metaphorical paralysis in the form of fear-induced immobility when faced with water. This paralysis is a physical manifestation of his psychological struggle.

💡Unconsciousness

Unconsciousness refers to a state of being where a person is not conscious, unable to respond to their environment, or is in a deep sleep or coma. The protagonist's brush with unconsciousness during his near-drowning incident is a turning point, highlighting the severity of his fear and the life-threatening consequences of his paralysis.

💡Courage

Courage is the ability to do something that frightens one. It is a key concept in the script, as the protagonist's decision to face his fear and learn to swim demonstrates courage. His repeated attempts to swim, despite his terror, are acts of courage that ultimately lead to his liberation from fear.

💡Freedom

Freedom, in this context, refers to the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint. The protagonist's final act of swimming across a lake signifies his freedom from the fear that had confined him. It represents the ultimate victory over his internal struggle and the attainment of peace.

Highlights

The narrator's childhood fear of water began at the age of three or four during a beach trip in California.

The YMCA pool in Yakima River offered a safe environment to learn swimming.

The narrator's initial discomfort with swimming was due to a childhood trauma of being knocked down by waves.

Despite initial fears, the narrator began to gain confidence after using water wings and observing other boys.

A traumatic event occurred when a bigger boy threw the narrator into the deep end of the pool.

The narrator's plan to jump from the bottom of the pool to reach the surface failed.

The narrator experienced a sense of suffocation and terror while underwater.

A moment of clarity emerged for the narrator to remember to jump from the bottom.

Despite attempts, the narrator continued to struggle and felt complete terror.

The narrator nearly drowned but was saved by the lifeguard.

The incident left the narrator with a lingering fear of water that affected his activities for days.

The fear persisted into adulthood, impacting the narrator's enjoyment of water-related activities.

The narrator decided to confront his fear by learning to swim with an instructor.

The swimming instructor used a rope and cable system to help the narrator gain confidence.

The narrator gradually overcame his fear through repeated exercises and practice.

The narrator's final test of overcoming his fear was swimming across a lake.

The narrator reflects on the deep meaning of conquering fear and the peace found in accepting the possibility of death.

Transcripts

it had happened when i was 10 or 11  years old i had decided to learn to swim

there was a pool at the ycma in the yakima river  that offered the opportunity the yakima river was  

dangerous mother continually warned me against  it and kept fresh in my mind the details of each  

drowning in the river but the ycma pool was safe  it was only two or three feet deep at the shallow  

end but it was nine feet deep at the other end  i got a pair of water wings and went to the pool  

i hated to walk naked into it and show my thin  legs but i overcame my pride and did it from the  

beginning however i had a dislike to the water  this started when i was three or four years old  

and father took me to the beach in california he  and i stood together in the surf i hung on to him  

yet the waves knocked me down and swept over  me i was buried in water my breath was gone  

i was frightened father laughed but there was  a terror in my heart at the force of the waves  

my introduction to the ycma swimming pool brought  back unpleasant memories and arose childish fears  

but in a little while i gathered confidence  i paddled with my new water wings watching  

the other boys and trying to learn by copying  them i did this to three times on different  

days and was just beginning to feel at ease  in the water when the misadventure happened

i went to the pool when no one else was  there the place was quiet the water was still  

i sat on the side of the pool to wait for  others then came a big boy probably 18 years old  

he had thick hairs on his chest his legs and  arms had rippling muscles he yelled hi skinny  

how'd you like to be ducked he picked me up  and threw me into the deep end on the way down  

i planned when my feet will hit the bottom i  would make a big jump and come to the surface  

then i would lie flat on the water  and paddle to the edge of the pool  

it seemed a long way down those nine feets  were more like 90 and before i touched bottom  

my lungs were ready to burst when i reached  the bottom i used all my strength and jumped  

i imagined that i would come up to the surface in  a second instead i came up slowly i opened my eyes  

and saw nothing but water water that had a dirty  yellow color to it i got scared i was suffocating  

i tried to cry but no sound came out then  my eyes and nose came out of the water  

but not my mouth i moved at the surface of water  i tried to bring my legs up but they hung as dead  

i started going down back to the bottom of the  pool my lungs ached my heart beat fastly and i  

felt dizzy but i remembered the strategy i would  jump from the bottom and come on the surface then  

i would lie flat on the water and get to the edge  of the pool i went down endlessly i opened my eyes  

nothing but water with a yellow dark glow and then  terror sees me terror that knows no understanding  

terror that knows no control terror that no  one can understand who hasn't experienced it  

i was crying underwater i was paralyzed underwater  stiff rigid with fear even my screams were frozen  

only my heart and the throbbing in my head said  i was alive and then in the midst of the terror  

came a touch of sense i must remember to jump when  i hit the bottom at last i felt tiles under me  

i jumped with everything i had but the jump  made no difference the water was still around  

me complete terror took an even deeper hold on  me my arms wouldn't move my legs wouldn't move  

i tried to call for help to call for  mother nothing happened and then strangely  

there was light i was coming out of the water at  least my eyes were my nose was almost out too but  

similar to the first time my mouth didn't come  out i started going down again i sucked for air  

but got water now i was tired  the yellow light was disappearing

then all effort was completed i relaxed even my  legs felt limp and a blackness swept over my brain  

it wiped out fear it wiped out terror  no more panic it was quiet and peaceful  

nothing to be afraid of it is nice to be drowsy  to go to sleep no need to jump too tired to jump  

it's nice to float in space now i must go to  sleep i crossed to unconsciousness and the  

curtain of my life fell the next i remember  i was lying on my stomach beside the pool  

the chapter through me was saying but i was only  fooling the kid nearly died be all right now  

let's carry him to the locker room several hours  later i walked home i was weak and trembling  

i shook and cried when i lay on bed i couldn't eat  that night for days a hunting fear was in my heart  

the slightest exertion upset me making me wobbly  in the knees and sick to my stomach i never went  

back to the pool i feared water i avoided it  whenever i could a few years later when i came  

to know the waters of cascades i wanted to get  into them cascade means waterfall and whenever i  

did whether i was walking in the titan or bumping  river or bathing in warm lake of the goat rocks  

the terror that had seized in the pool would  come back it would take control of me completely  

my legs would become paralyzed i see horror would  grab my heart this handicap stayed with me as  

years rolled by whenever i went on fishing the  hunting fear followed me it destroyed my fishing  

trips deprived me of the joy of canoeing boating  and swimming 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 and attached  a rope to it the rope went through a cable above  

and the other end of the rope was held by him we  went back and forth across the pool hour after  

hour day after day week after week on each trip  a bit of panic seized me each time the instructor  

relaxed his hold on the rope and i went under  some of the old terror returned after three months  

the tension began to reduce then he taught me to  put my face under water and exhale and then raise  

nose above and inhale i repeated the exercise  hundred of times bit by bit the panic reduced  

next he held me at the side of the pool  and had me kick my legs in the water  

for weeks i just did that at first my legs refused  to work but they gradually relaxed and finally i  

could command them thus piece by piece he built  a swimmer at last he put all the pieces to a hole  

in april he said now you can swim dive off and  swing the length of the pool crawl stroke i did  

the instructor finished but i was not finished  i still wondered if the terror would return  

if i am alone in the pool i tried it i swam the  length tiny signs of the terror would return  

but now i could say to the terror trying  to scare me eh well here's to you look and  

then i'd go for another length of the pool this  went on until july but i was still not satisfied  

i was not sure that all the terror had left so  i went to lake wentworth dived at triggs island  

two miles across the lake and reached stamford  island only once did the terror return when i was  

at the middle of the lake i put my face under and  saw nothing but bottomless water the old sensation  

returned in miniature i laughed and said well mr  terror what do you think you can do to me it fled  

and i swam on yet i had doubts left i went to the  high grassland by the side of warm lake and camped  

there the next morning i took off clothes dived  into the lake and swam across to the other shore  

and back just as doug corporon used to do i had  conquered my fear of water the experience had a  

deep meaning for me as only those who have known  stark terror and conquered it can appreciate stark  

terror means extreme terror 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 as i had experienced both  

the sensation of dying and the terror the fear  of dying can produce the will to live somehow  

grew at last i felt released free to walk the  trails and climb the peaks and to set aside fear