Why does Douglas as an adult recount a childhood experience of terror and his conquering of it? What larger meaning does he draw from this experience?
Douglas had suffered from two fears in his childhood which had made a great import on his future joys. He was not able to enjoy fishing trips, canoeing swimming and boating due to his fear. He hired an instructor and finally conquered his fear of water.
He draws a great meaning of life from his scary experience. He almost lost hope of being alive after tries a lot of times to come up from the water but he failed. He knows, “In death, there is peace that is terror only in the fear of death”. Thus what matters most is the will to him. As roosevelt said in the last “All we have to fear in fear itself”. Therefore non one should give up in the life. Only by will power and hard work one will be able to achieve secures and to highest peace of life.
How did this experience affect him?
How did Douglas overcome his fear of water?
Why was Douglas determined to get over his fear of water?
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.
How did Douglas make sure that he conquered the old terror?
What is the “misadventure” that William Douglas speaks about?
How did the instructor “build a swimmer” out of Douglas?
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?
What was Franz expected to be prepared with for school that day?
What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps? Where is he and where has he come from?
From where did the peddler get the idea of the world being a rattrap?
Strike out what is not true in the following.
a. Rajkumar Shukla was
(i) a sharecropper.
(ii) a politician.
(iii) delegate.
(iv) a landlord.
b. Rajkumar Shukla was
(i) poor.
(ii) physically strong.
(iii) illiterate.
What does the writer mean by ‘the fiery misery’ of those subjected to make-up’?
What are some of the positive views on interviews?
Where was it most likely that the two girls would find work after school?
What did Franz notice that was unusual about the school that day?
What explanations does the author offer for the children not wearing footwear?
Why was he amused by this idea?
The author has used gentle humour to point out human foibles. Pick out instances of this to show how this serves to make the piece interesting.
What could be some of the reasons for the migration of people from villages to cities?
What does The God that Failed refer to?
What is the belief in some primitive cultures about being photographed?
How did Franz’s feelings about M. Hamel and school change?
Why did Sophie wriggle when Geoff told her father that she had met Danny Casey?
What made the lawyer stand out from the others at Gemini Studios?
Why do most celebrity writers despise being interviewed?
Does Geoff believe what Sophie says about her meeting with Danny Casey?
What is the example of national integration that the author refers to?