NOTES PREPARED BY
ASHAQ HUSSAIN BHAT
TEACHER SCHOOL
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
JAMMU AND KASHMIR
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"Last Lesson Of The Afternoon"
By -(D.H. Lawrenca)
Q1:- What is the tone in the opening line of the poem?
Ans:- In the opening line of the poem there is the lone of bitter desperation , tiredness , boredom and weariness. The poet has been doing something which he thinks is all futile. He has been doing it for long and has become sick of it.
Q2:- Who is the speaker of this poem ?
A48:- A teacher is the speaker of the poem,
Q3:- What are the pupils regarded as ? Why has the teacher failed to haul?them and urge them' any more?
Aris:- The pupils are regarded as hunting dogs. The teacher has failed to haul them and urge them' any more because the students have no interest in learning. They don't want to hunt in the quarry of knowledge They want to break away from the chains of the classrooms.
04:- Which words and phrases in stanza two convey the mood of the speaker.
Ans:- the words and phrases which convay the mood of the speaker are as;
i . No longer now can I endure the burnt.
ii . I am sick
iii . I cannot see.
0.5 :- Why doesn't the speaker want to consume his fuel anymore?
Ans: - By fuel", the speaker means his energy. He has realized that he has been wasting his energy-so far on a fruitless exercise. Now he does not want to do so any more. He wants to keep his energy for himself and use it the way he likes to. He does not want to consume it uselessly the way he has been doing so far
0.6:- What do you think “ take the toll of their insults in punishments" meas?
Ans:-The phrase "take the toll of their insults in punishment” means that the teacher put his best efforts to teach the students. But when he does not get any response, that he feels insulted. He feels he has been rewarded with punishment.
Q. 7:- Why does the teacher feel that his teaching and the pupil's learning are both purposeless? Pick out words and phrases which show that he shareshis pupils 'indifference to their work?
Ans:- The teacher thinks that his teaching and the pupils learning are both purposeless because in spite of his hard efforts to reach them he has failed to get any positive response from them. The following words and phrases show that he shares his pupils' indifference to their work. "I do not, and will not; they won't and they don't and that's all.
Q.8.- Do you find any connection between the beginning and the ending of the poem?
Ans: - The beginning of the poem shows the poet's weariness. He is sick of doing something which he feels is all futile. There is a streak of agony also in his expression. But by the end of the poem, the poet is all calm and resolute. He has resolved not to waste his time and energy on a useless exercise . He has decided to keep it for himself and use it in his own way.
Q.9:-After reading this poem, write an account of your opinion /idea in 100-200 words about this poem?
Ans:- This poem records the honest feeling of a teacher about his job. A teacher is supposed to give his best to his students. But there is also another point to be considered . Teaching can never be a one – way affair. There can be no Teaching if the learner is not willing to learn. You can take the horse to the pool but you can't make it drink. You can send a student to school but you can't make him learn. A student will learn if and only he wants to learn. And what will the poor teacher do if the student is not willing to learn. He will simply sit down and wait for the bell to go. And this is what the teacher in the poem decides to do. And he goes even a step further. He decides to keep his energy for himself and use it in his own way. He will give up the futile and thankless job of teaching and do something worthwhile.
Q.10:- What is the metaphor used by the poet in stanza one ?
Ans:-A metaphor is comparison between two unlike things. Here words 'like' or 'as are not used. The metaphors used by the poet in stanza one are "My pack of unruly hounds" and “quarry of knowledge”. The teacher has ben compared with a hunter and the students with hunting dogs. Knowledge has been compared with quarry(something hunt).
Q.11:- Indentify the metaphor in stanza three ?
Ans:-In stanza III the metaphors are "my last dear fuel of life"' and "Their dross of ignorance" The nergy" of the teacher has been compared with "fuel" and the Ignorance the students with "Darkness"
"Summary of the poem”
The poem "Last Lesson of the afternoon” is written by D.H. Lawrence. In this poem, the poet reflects the view point of the teacher who feels that his efforts to teach a class of sixty students is an exercise in futility (useless).
It expresses mood of bitter desperation at the Thanklessness of a teacher's work. The teacher is tired of his students and waits for the last bell to ring. The condition of the students is like hunting dogs who con not be compelled by the hunter to hunt when they are not interested in same way a student can be compelled to sit inside the class room but he cannot be compelled to learn any thing if there is lack of interest There are 60 students in his class and their notebooks are dirty and sub standard work are lying before him. It is an insult to the teacher . He thinks that neither his teaching nor their learning has proved effective. Being an optimist he thinks he will remove the darkness of ignorance from their mind . But in last stanza he becomes pessimistic and thinks that it is impossible to teach dull & uninterested students. So he waits for the bell to get rid of his mental tiredness.
"Central Ideas of The Poem"
In this poem the poet ,reflects the mental state of a teacher who finds students unwilling to learn in spite of all his efforts . The teacher has come to the conclusion that he is engaged in a futile activity. When the learner is not willing to learn , there remains no point in forcing him to learn. So the teacher has lost interest in his teaching .He is sitting in the class with sixty indifferent students in front of him The only thing he can do is to wait for the last bell to go and run back home
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