CLASS 12 ENGLISH (FLAMINGO) PROSE CHAPTER-3 DEEP WATER
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
Question- 1 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?
Answer:
Douglas takes us through every detail of his near-death incident at the Y.M.C.A. pool. He goes into minute-by-minute detail about his emotional, mental, and physical fight with the debilitating dread of
drowning in water. The incident’s first-person narration also allows us to better identify with his perspective. He didn’t lose his mind at first, but when his plan didn’t succeed, he panicked. The readers will feel suffocation, terror, and a loss of control over their sense impressions like he does. His vision was `obstructed by the filthy yellow water. His voice didn’t help him at all. Only his nose and mouth could get water into his lungs. Fear paralyzed his limbs and made his mind dizzy. His desperation to preserve himself drove him to struggle until he blacked out for the third time. All of these nuances add to the description’s realism.