question_answer

Answer the following question in 120-150 words:

In one's approach to life one should be practical and not live in a world of dreams. How is Jansie's attitude different from that of Sophie?

Or

Fear is something that we must learn to overcome if we want to succeed in life. How did Douglas get over his fear of water?

 

Answer:

It is definitely true that one should have a realistic approach to life. It is better to be practical and down-to- earth than to be lost in the world of dreams. There is a total contrast between the attitudes of Sophie and Jansie. They are poles apart, as far as their thinking is concerned. Jansie is extremely practical and down-to-earth and knows that they were earmarked to work in the biscuit factory, after finishing their high school.             Sophie is unrealistic and highly imaginative. She dreams of impossible careers like becoming an actress, opening a boutique or becoming a fashion designer. Even when the entire family laughs at her impossible expectations of life, she does not deter. She relates only to Geoff, her brother because he does not contradict her. She also daydreams about having a date with Danny Casey, the famous football player. She feels shattered as she only gets a fleeting glimpse of him among 10,000 spectators in the stadium.

Or

?All we have to fear is fear itself?, said Roosevelt. When the element of fear creeps in, even the best of ventures will prove to be unsuccessful.             Douglas had an aversion to water since his childhood. He had a very bad experience, when a bully pushed him into the water. The fear conquered his mind and he developed an aversion to water from then onwards. However, after a point he felt upset as he could not indulge in water activities like fishing, canoeing, boating and swimming.             So he decided to overcome his fear of water. He appointed an instructor who trained him for 5 days, for one hour daily. The instructor put a belt around him with rope attached to the belt that went through a pulley that ran on an overhead cable. He held on to the end of the rope and went back and forth, week after week for nearly three months. The instructor made him put his take underwater and exhale, and then raise his nose and inhale. He held him at the side of the pool and had him kick the water with his legs. Piece by piece Douglas became a swimmer and swam the length of the pool.             However, to fully reassure himself, he swam the length of the swimming pool alone in the absence of the instructor. He swam in Lake Wentworth in New Hampshire and the warm lake until he felt truly confident.