Last Lesson of the Afternoon
By D. H. 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 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! —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.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.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.
Summary of Last Lesson of the Afternoon
- Popularity of “Last Lesson of the Afternoon”: ‘Last Lesson of the Afternoon’ was written by David Herbert Lawrence, a well-known English writer and poet. It is a realistic poetic piece and first appeared in 1913. The poem conveys a sense of boredom, lifelessness and dullness when describing the class. It also shows the exhaustion of the teacher after dealing with a large number of students in his class. Despite being written many years ago, this poem still remains relevant today, which is why it has gained worldwide recognition because of its universal appeal.
- “Last Lesson of the Afternoon” As a Representative of Modern Education: The pessimistic poem opens when the poet looks fed up with his duty as a teacher. He is desperately waiting for the bell to ring to free himself from the boredom.Judging by his expression, it seems that he has dedicated a significant amount of time and effort to train his students who were initially unruly, uncultured, and stubborn. Yet, despite his sincere efforts, the students have not reached the level of his expectations. The comparison of these sixty students with wild animals hints at how difficult it would have been for the poet to educate them. As their in charge, he did not leave any stone unturned to fulfill his duty, yet all his efforts went in vain. Having considered this, he concludes that he will not expend his remaining energy on them. He simply wants to liberate himself from the suffocating environment.
- Major Themes in “Last Lesson of the Afternoon”: Hollow educational system, immorality, and loss of hope are the major themes of the poem. The poem sketches the lifelike picture of a teacher who seems drained out and hopeless against the undisciplined class. The choice of words suggests that the teacher has been making sincere efforts since long to mentor his students. It also seems that he has put his blood and sweat into his profession, but his class is not worth it. Therefore, he has decided to keep the things as it is and waits for the bell that will ultimately release him from this tedium.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Last Lesson of the Afternoon
literary devices serve as powerful tools that aid writers in enhancing the quality and richness of their poetry. D. H. Lawrence also used these tools brilliantly. The analysis of the devices used in the poem is as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /o/ in “Their dross of indifference; and take the toll” and the sound of /ee/ in “My last dear fuel of life to heap on my soul.”
- Anaphora: It refers to the repetition of a word or expression in the first part of some verses. D. H. Lawrence repeated the word “of…” in the second stanza of the poem to emphasize the point, such as,
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.
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /th/ in “that they” and /h/ sound in “hate to hunt”.
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /r/ in “What do I care for all that they do amiss” and the sound of /r/ and the sound of /n/ in “No longer now can I endure the brunt.”
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example,
“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.”
- Irony: Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning. The writer used this device in the opening of the poem while talking about the discomfort of the teacher, such as “When will the bell ring, and end this weariness?”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. D. H. Lawrence has used imagery in this poem such as “Of the books that lie out on the desks; a full threescore”, “Why should we beat our heads against the wall” and “My last dear fuel of life to heap on my soul.”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between the objects that are different. The poem shows the use of metaphor in the first line, where the speaker compares his duty to something exhausted, such as “When will the bell ring, and end this weariness?”
- Rhetorical Question: Rhetorical question is a question that is not asked in order to receive an answer; it is just posed to make the point clear. Lawrence has posed the rhetorical question in the opening line of the poem to put emphasis on his point, such as, “When will the bell ring, and end this weariness?”
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that differ from literal meanings. In the poem, the usage of fatigue, ennui, and unease as symbols portrays the essence of education without a clear objective.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “Last Lesson of the Afternoon”
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction: The poem shows descriptive diction having metaphors, similes, and impressive images.
- Free Verse: Free verse is a type of poetry that does not contain patterns of rhyme or meter. This is a free-verse poem with no strict rhyme or meter.
- Quatrain: A quatrain is a four-lined stanza borrowed from Persian poetry. Here, the fourth, fifth, and sixth stanzas are quatrains.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. This poem has six stanzas with each comprising a different number of verses.
Quotes to be Used
These lines from ‘Last Lesson of the Afternoon’ are relevant to use when commenting upon the boredom associated with pedagogy and slackness of teachers.
“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.”
