Last Lesson of the Afternoon

In ‘Last Lesson of the Afternoon,’ a disheartened teacher expresses weariness, frustration, and disillusionment with unresponsive students and the perceived futility of his teaching efforts. The poem delves into themes of apathy, detachment, and the questioning of the value and purpose of education. The speaker contemplates his emotional and physical exhaustion, ultimately choosing to disengage and await the end of the school day.

Last Lesson of the Afternoon
DH Lawrence

When will the bell ring, and end this weariness?   How long have they tugged the leash, and strained apart,                My pack of unruly hounds! I cannot start Them again on a quarry of knowledge they hate to hunt, I can haul them and urge them no more.

No longer now can I endure the brunt   Of the books that lie out on the desks; a full threescore  Of several insults of blotted pages, and scrawl  Of slovenly work that they have offered me. I am sick, and what on earth is the good of it all?  What good to them or me, I cannot see!

So, shall I takeMy last dear fuel of life to heap on my soulAnd kindle my will to a flame that shall consumeTheir dross of indifference; and take the tollOf their insults in punishment? — I will not! —

I will not waste my soul and my strength for this.What do I care for all that they do amiss!What is the point of this teaching of mine, and of thisLearning of theirs? It all goes down the same abyss.

What does it matter to me, if they can writeA description of a dog, or if they can’t?What is the point? To us both, it is all my aunt!And yet I’m supposed to care, with all my might.

I do not, and will not; they won’t and they don’t; and that’s all!I shall keep my strength for myself; they can keep theirs as well.Why should we beat our heads against the wallOf each other? I shall sit and wait for the bell.

Summary

In DH Lawrence’s poem ‘Last Lesson of the Afternoon,’ the speaker, presumably a teacher, expresses weariness and frustration with his students and the educational system. He eagerly anticipates the bell that will signal the end of the school day, longing for release from the burden of his unruly students.

The teacher reflects on the futile attempts to engage his students in learning, describing them as a pack of disobedient hounds that he can no longer motivate. He acknowledges the disdain his students hold for acquiring knowledge, which they despise like a hunt they have no interest in pursuing. The teacher confesses his inability to push them any further.

The piles of books strewn across the desks symbolize the fruitless labor of teaching. The books are marred with insults and sloppy work from the students, further adding to the teacher’s distress. He questions the purpose of it all, feeling sick and unable to perceive any benefit for either himself or his students.

Contemplating his options, the teacher contemplates whether he should use his remaining energy to ignite his own passion and disregard the indifference of his students. He ponders whether enduring their insults would serve as their punishment. Ultimately, he rejects this notion, refusing to waste his soul and strength on a futile endeavor.

The teacher dismisses the significance of his teaching and the way his students learn. He questions the value of their ability to write about a dog, emphasizing that it holds no importance to him. The poem suggests a sense of detachment and apathy, as the teacher declares he does not care about their mistakes, and neither do they. There seems to be an acceptance of the futility of their interactions and a desire to preserve his own strength.

In the final stanza, the teacher resolves to keep his strength to himself, suggesting a withdrawal from the struggle and conflict with his students. Instead of continuing to clash with them, he chooses to wait passively for the bell that signals the end of the day, symbolizing his resignation and longing for escape.

Essentially, ‘Last Lesson of the Afternoon‘ portrays a disillusioned teacher who questions the purpose and value of his teaching, highlighting the weariness and frustration that arise from a lack of engagement and mutual indifference between the teacher and students.

Structure and Form

‘Last Lesson of the Afternoon‘ by DH Lawrence is a poem structured into six stanzas, comprising a total of twenty-eight lines. The poem adheres to a consistent structure, with stanzas one and three containing five lines each, while the last three stanzas and the second stanza consist of four and five lines, respectively. This deliberate arrangement contributes to the overall flow and impact of the poem.

In terms of the rhyming scheme, ‘Last Lesson of the Afternoon’ does not strictly follow a specific pattern. However, there are instances of internal rhyme and partial rhymes throughout the poem. For example, in the first stanza, the words “ring” and “thing” create a partial rhyme, and in the second stanza, “hunt” and “start” also form a partial rhyme. These subtle rhymes enhance the musicality and rhythm of the poem without adhering to a rigid structure.

The poem’s form reflects the speaker’s emotional state and their introspective musings. The varied stanza lengths create a sense of irregularity and reflect the fragmented thoughts of the speaker. The longer stanzas allow for a more detailed exploration of the speaker’s frustration and disillusionment, while the shorter stanzas convey a concise and focused expression of their thoughts.

By employing this structure and form, the poet captures the teacher’s weariness and his fragmented state of mind. The irregularity of the stanzas echoes the speaker’s sense of disconnection and dissatisfaction with the educational system and his students. It also emphasizes the speaker’s inner turmoil and the dissonance between his own desires and the expectations placed upon him.

Themes

In ‘Last Lesson of the Afternoon,’ DH Lawrence addresses several themes that reflect the speaker’s disillusionment with the educational system and his role as a teacher. The poem delves into themes of weariness, frustration, the futility of teaching, and the value of knowledge.

One prominent theme is weariness, as the speaker anxiously awaits the end of the school day and expresses his exhaustion with the demands placed upon him. This weariness is evident in lines such as “When will the bell ring, and end this weariness?” and “No longer now can I endure the brunt.” These lines reveal the teacher’s longing for release from the burdensome nature of his profession.

Frustration is another theme explored in the poem. The teacher describes his students as an unruly pack of hounds and expresses his inability to motivate or engage them. Lines such as “My pack of unruly hounds! I cannot start / Them again on a quarry of knowledge they hate to hunt” reveal his frustration with their lack of interest and enthusiasm.

The futility of teaching and the value of knowledge are also significant themes. The teacher questions the purpose and significance of his teaching, wondering if it truly matters whether his students can write a description of a dog or not. This theme is captured in lines such as “What is the point? To us both, it is all my aunt!” The teacher’s apathy towards their progress and the lack of meaning he finds in their learning exemplify this theme.

Additionally, the poem touches on themes of detachment and indifference. The teacher declares that he does not care about his students’ mistakes and emphasizes that they do not care either. This sense of detachment is evident in lines such as “I do not, and will not; they won’t and they don’t; and that’s all!”

Poetic Techniques and Figurative Language

In ‘Last Lesson of the Afternoon,’ DH Lawrence utilizes various poetic techniques and figurative language to effectively convey his message and evoke emotions within the reader.

• Metaphor: This is one of the techniques that the poet has employed. Lawrence compares his students to a pack of unruly hounds, emphasizing their disobedience and lack of interest in learning. This metaphor is evident in the lines “My pack of unruly hounds!” and highlights the speaker’s frustration and struggle to engage his students.
• Alliteration: The poet also utilizes alliteration to create musicality and enhance the poem’s rhythm. In the line “Of several insults of blotted pages,” the repetition of the “s” sound in “several,” “insults,” and “pages” adds a sense of harshness and discord, mirroring the speaker’s negative experiences with his students’ work.
• Imagery: Lawrence employs imagery to vividly depict the burden of teaching. The image of “blotted pages” and “slovenly work” conveys the messiness and lack of care in his students’ assignments, reflecting the speaker’s weariness with their lack of effort. This imagery allows the reader to visualize the physical evidence of the students’ indifference.
• Repetition: Another poetic technique utilized is repetition. The phrase “I will not” is repeated throughout the poem, emphasizing the speaker’s resolve to preserve his own strength and not waste it on an unappreciative audience. This repetition adds emphasis and reinforces the speaker’s determination.
• Enjambment: This refers to the continuation of a sentence or thought across line breaks. This has also been employed by Lawrence. For example, in the line “What is the point of this teaching of mine, and of this / Learning of theirs?” the thought extends beyond the line break, creating a sense of flow and connecting the ideas seamlessly.
• Tone: Lawrence uses a conversational and informal tone, employing colloquial language and rhetorical questions such as “What on earth is the good of it all?” This informal tone adds to the speaker’s frustration and allows the reader to feel a connection to the teacher’s inner thoughts.

Detailed Analysis

Stanza One

When will the bell ring, and end this weariness?  

How long have they tugged the leash, and strained apart,               

My pack of unruly hounds! I cannot start

Them again on a quarry of knowledge they hate to hunt,

I can haul them and urge them no more.

In the first stanza of ‘Last Lesson of the Afternoon,’ DH Lawrence conveys the weariness and frustration experienced by the speaker, who is presumably a teacher. The stanza opens with a rhetorical question: “When will the bell ring, and end this weariness?” This question captures the longing of the speaker for the school day to come to an end, highlighting his exhaustion and desire for respite.

The next line introduces a metaphorical image: “How long have they tugged the leash and strained apart.” Here, the students are compared to a pack of unruly hounds. This metaphor emphasizes the lack of discipline and control exhibited by the students, as they metaphorically tug at the leash and pull away from the teacher’s guidance. The image serves to illustrate the difficulty the speaker faces in managing and directing his students.

The phrase “My pack of unruly hounds!” expresses the speaker’s exasperation and the ownership he feels over the students. It implies a sense of responsibility and a recognition of his role as a teacher, trying to guide and control the unruly group.

The following line continues the metaphor by stating, “I cannot start / Them again on a quarry of knowledge they hate to hunt.” The speaker acknowledges his inability to engage the students in the pursuit of knowledge. The metaphorical “quarry of knowledge” represents the subject matter the teacher is attempting to teach, while the students’ aversion to hunting symbolizes their lack of interest in learning.

The final line of the stanza, “I can haul them and urge them no more,” conveys the speaker’s resignation and exhaustion. The verb “haul” implies physical exertion, as if the teacher has been pulling and dragging the students along in their educational journey. However, the speaker has reached a point where his efforts to motivate and encourage the students have been fruitless. The phrase “urge them no more” indicates a sense of defeat as the speaker recognizes the futility of his attempts.

Stanza Two

No longer now can I endure the brunt  

Of the books that lie out on the desks; a full threescore 

Of several insults of blotted pages, and scrawl 

Of slovenly work that they have offered me.

I am sick, and what on earth is the good of it all? 

What good to them or me, I cannot see!

In the second stanza, DH Lawrence continues to convey the speaker’s frustration and disillusionment with the educational system and the work of the students.

The stanza begins with the line, “No longer now can I endure the brunt.” Here, the speaker expresses his inability to withstand the weight or impact of something. In this case, it refers to the burden of the books that lie on the desks. This line sets the tone for the stanza, highlighting the overwhelming nature of the teacher’s task and the toll it takes on him.

The phrase “a full threescore” indicates a significant number of books or assignments. The use of the word “full” suggests an abundance or completeness, emphasizing the quantity of work that the teacher is confronted with. This image reinforces the feeling of being overwhelmed and burdened.

The next line, “Of several insults of blotted pages, and scrawl,” reveals the poor quality of his students’ work. The word “insults” suggests that the messy, blotted pages are perceived as an affront or disrespect to the teacher. The use of “scrawl” further emphasizes the careless and hasty nature of his students’ writing.

The phrase “slovenly work” further reinforces the idea of the students’ lack of care and effort in their assignments. It conveys a sense of negligence and untidiness, reflecting their disinterest in producing quality work.

The subsequent lines express the speaker’s sickness and his questioning of the purpose and value of it all. The phrase “I am sick” indicates the emotional and perhaps physical toll that the situation has taken on the teacher. The rhetorical question, “What on earth is the good of it all?” reflects the speaker’s disillusionment and inability to find meaning or worth in his efforts.

The final line, “What good to them or me, I cannot see!” emphasizes the speaker’s confusion and sense of hopelessness. He is unable to discern any positive outcome or benefit from his work, neither for himself nor for the students.

Stanza Three

So, shall I take

My last dear fuel of life to heap on my soul

And kindle my will to a flame that shall consume

Their dross of indifference; and take the toll

Of their insults in punishment? — I will not! —

In this third stanza of the poem, DH Lawrence delves into the internal conflict and contemplation of the speaker, who is considering whether to take drastic measures to confront the indifference and insults of the students.

The stanza opens with the contemplative phrase, “So, shall I take.” This signals the speaker’s introspection and the consideration of a course of action in response to the students’ indifference.

The line “My last dear fuel of life to heap on my soul” employs metaphorical language. The speaker views his energy and passion as precious fuel for his life. By using the word “dear,” he implies the importance and value he places on this energy. The phrase “to heap on my soul” suggests an intense concentration and accumulation of this fuel, which the speaker intends to utilize for a particular purpose.

The following line, “And kindle my will to a flame that shall consume,” continues the metaphor and introduces the image of a flame. The speaker seeks to ignite his willpower to a blazing intensity, envisioning it as a flame that will consume something. This flame symbolizes his determination to confront the students’ indifference and make an impact.

The phrase “Their dross of indifference” characterizes the students’ apathy and lack of interest as worthless or impure material. The speaker desires to eradicate or overcome this indifference with his passionate will and energy.

The line “And take the toll / Of their insults in punishment?” further illustrates the speaker’s internal struggle. He contemplates whether to endure and internalize the insults and disrespectful behavior of the students as a form of punishment. This implies a willingness to bear the emotional burden in order to elicit a response or change.

The stanza concludes with a decisive statement, “I will not!” This strong assertion signifies the speaker’s ultimate rejection of the idea of subjecting himself to this punishment and taking on the responsibility of changing the students’ attitudes.

Stanza Four

I will not waste my soul and my strength for this.

What do I care for all that they do amiss!

What is the point of this teaching of mine, and of this

Learning of theirs? It all goes down the same abyss.

In the fourth stanza, the poet continues to explore the speaker’s disillusionment with his teaching and the perceived futility of his efforts.

The stanza begins with a resolute statement: “I will not waste my soul and my strength for this.” Here, the speaker firmly declares his refusal to expend his emotional and physical energy on the current state of affairs. This line conveys a sense of self-preservation and an acknowledgment of the personal cost involved in his teaching.

The following line, “What do I care for all that they do amiss!” reveals the speaker’s detachment and indifference towards the students’ mistakes or shortcomings. It suggests that the speaker has reached a point of emotional detachment and no longer feels interested in the outcomes or consequences of his student’s actions.

The line “What is the point of this teaching of mine, and of this / Learning of theirs?” expresses the speaker’s skepticism and doubt regarding the purpose and significance of his teaching and students’ learning. The rhetorical questions convey a sense of disillusionment and a lack of conviction in the value of the educational process.

The stanza concludes with the line, “It all goes down the same abyss.” Here, the speaker uses imagery to portray the perception that his efforts, along with the students’ learning, are destined for a metaphorical abyss, signifying a sense of meaninglessness and insignificance. This image conveys the idea that his endeavors will ultimately be forgotten or have no lasting impact.

Stanza Five

What does it matter to me, if they can write

A description of a dog, or if they can’t?

What is the point? To us both, it is all my aunt!

And yet I’m supposed to care, with all my might.

In the fifth stanza of ‘Last Lesson of the Afternoon,’ DH Lawrence continues to explore the speaker’s disillusionment and skepticism regarding the significance of his students’ learning and the expectations placed upon the teacher.

The stanza begins with a rhetorical question: “What does it matter to me, if they can write / A description of a dog, or if they can’t?” This question reflects the speaker’s apathy and detachment toward the students’ ability to complete a seemingly simple task. The use of “a description of a dog” represents a basic and mundane exercise, highlighting the speaker’s belief that such skills hold little importance or relevance.

The subsequent line, “What is the point?” further emphasizes the speaker’s questioning of the purpose and value of his students’ learning. This rhetorical question suggests that the speaker sees little significance in the specific knowledge and skills being taught, indicating a broader skepticism toward the educational system as a whole.

The phrase “To us both, it is all my aunt!” conveys the speaker’s dismissiveness and lack of concern. The use of the idiom “my aunt” suggests a disregard or indifference towards the matter at hand, emphasizing the speaker’s belief that the outcome holds no real significance or impact.

The final line, “And yet I’m supposed to care, with all my might,” highlights the conflicting expectations placed upon the speaker. Despite his lack of conviction and belief in the importance of his students’ learning, the speaker is aware of the societal expectation for him to invest himself fully and care deeply about his role as a teacher.

Stanza Six

I do not, and will not; they won’t and they don’t; and that’s all!

I shall keep my strength for myself; they can keep theirs as well.

Why should we beat our heads against the wall

Of each other? I shall sit and wait for the bell.

In the final stanza of the poem, DH Lawrence brings the poem to a conclusion by expressing the speaker’s resolution and decision to disengage from the struggle and conflict between himself and the students.

The stanza begins with a resolute statement: “I do not, and will not; they won’t and they don’t; and that’s all!” Here, the speaker firmly states his lack of interest and refusal to continue investing his energy and efforts into the students’ learning. This repetition of “do not” and “will not” emphasizes the speaker’s determination to detach himself from the situation.

The next line, “I shall keep my strength for myself; they can keep theirs as well,” reflects the speaker’s self-preservation and prioritization of his well-being. He acknowledges that the students also possess their own agency and responsibility, and he chooses to allow the students to keep their own strength or lack thereof. This line conveys the speaker’s decision to disengage from the struggle and no longer try to impose his will upon the students.

The following line, “Why should we beat our heads against the wall,” employs a metaphorical image to emphasize the futility of the ongoing conflict and struggle between the speaker and the students. The image of beating one’s head against a wall implies a sense of futile resistance and pain.

The final line of the stanza, “I shall sit and wait for the bell,” signifies the speaker’s resignation and acceptance of his role. He chooses to passively wait for the bell that signals the end of the school day, symbolizing his desire for release and escape from the ongoing frustrations.

This last stanza of ‘Last Lesson of the Afternoon’ encapsulates the speaker’s resolution to disengage and preserve his strength. Through decisive statements, metaphorical language, and the symbolism of waiting for the bell, DH Lawrence conveys the message that the speaker chooses to withdraw from the struggle with the students and passively endure the remainder of the school day.

FAQs

Similar Poetry

If you enjoyed this poem, we may also wish to explore the following other poems:

• ‘First Day At School’ by Roger McGough – is an interesting poem about a child’s experience on his first day. He’s lost, confused, and feels left out throughout the day.
• ‘an afternoon nap’ by Arthur Yap – explores the lacunae in the modern education system and how it results in anxiety and stress in students.
• ‘Teaching English from an Old Composition Book’ by Gary Soto – is about a teacher instructing some Mexican-American immigrant students in a night school. Soto portrays their harsh living conditions and their struggle to cope with a new culture.