The Last Lesson of the Afternoon Questions Answers, Summary | JKBOSE Class 10th English
The Last Lesson of the Afternoon by D.H Lawrence
The Last Lesson of the Afternoon is the lesson in JKBOSE Class 10th Tulip Series English and is also avaible in NCERT CBSE syllabus for class 10th. Get all the Textual Questions as well as Summary for "The Last Lesson of the Afternoon" for the student of JKBOSE as well as CBSE Students
Central Idea of Last Lesson of the Afternoon
The poem The Last Lesson of the Afternoon written by D.H Lawrence reflects the bitter disappointment of a teacher who feels unappreciated in their work. In the poem, the teacher compares their students to hounds and themselves to a hunter stating that just as a hunter can do nothing if the hounds are not willing to hunt so too are the students indifferent in their pursuit of knowledge. The teacher feels that their efforts are in vain when the students are unwilling to learn and there is no point in pushing or urging them to do so.
Summary of Last Lesson of the Afternoon
The Last Lesson of the Afternoon is a poem by D.H Lawrence that was first published in 1914. The story is set in a small village school in England where the narrator i.e a young schoolmaster is teaching his last lesson of the afternoon.
The story begins with the schoolmaster feeling a sense of dread as he prepares to teach his last lesson of the day. He reflects on the monotony of his daily routine and the uninspiring nature of his pupils. As the lesson begins the schoolmaster becomes increasingly disillusioned with his job and the unresponsive nature of his students.
However, as the lesson progresses the schoolmaster's attitude begins to change. He becomes increasingly engaged with his pupils and starts to enjoy the lesson. He starts to see the potential in his students and becomes more optimistic about their future.
The climax of the story comes when the schoolmaster begins to tell his students about the beauty of nature and the importance of appreciating it. He tells them about the beauty of the sky, the clouds and the trees and encourages them to look for the beauty in their own surroundings.
This message resonates with the students and they begin to pay more attention to their surroundings and find beauty in the world around them.
The story ends with the schoolmaster feeling a sense of contentment and fulfillment as he finishes his lesson. He realizes that despite the monotony of his daily routine he is still capable of making a positive impact on the lives of his students.
In summary, "The Last Lesson of the Afternoon" is a story about the struggles of a schoolmaster who is feeling uninspired and disconnected from his job and students. Through the course of the story the schoolmaster learns to appreciate the beauty of nature and the potential of his students. The story ultimately leaves a message of hope and the importance of recognizing the beauty in everyday life.
Paraphrase of "The Last Lesson of the Afternoon"
Lines (1 - 5)
The poem expresses the intense frustration and despair of a teacher who is unable to engage or inspire his students. Despite his efforts they remain indifferent and unresponsive causing the teacher to feel exhausted and longing for the end of the day. He compares his students to unruly hounds who reject learning and he has given up on the idea of being able to influence them in any way.
Lines (6 - 11)
The students do not show any enthusiasm or interest in gaining knowledge which frustrates the teacher. He is tired of their sloppy and unorganized work and feels disrespected by the lack of interest from the class of sixty students. The teacher perceives this as an insult and now understands that his efforts to inspire them were ineffective, resulting in a failure of the teaching and learning process.
Lines (12 - 16)
The teacher is greatly troubled and compares his energy to fuel. As he is getting older he wants to use his energy wisely and not waste it on a futile task. He values his life and wants to make the most of it by pursuing knowledge. He doesn't want to continue wasting his energy on unresponsive and disinterested students. The teacher's attitude towards his rowdy pupils is in stark contrast to theirs. Even if he makes a strong effort to engage them in learning they remain indifferent and this is a punishment for the teacher. Thus he has decided not to waste any more of his strength and energy on them.
Lines (17 - 20)
The teacher recognizes the lack of motivation from his students towards their studies. He does not want to expend his energy trying to teach unengaged students. He does not care if the students make mistakes or choose the wrong path in life. He is extremely frustrated with the teaching and learning process that feeling that his efforts are in vain and that he is participating in a futile endeavor.
Lines (21 - 24)
The teacher is not concerned about his students and does not care whether or not they write a composition about a dog. If the students are not interested in learning there is no use in trying to convince them or spark their curiosity. The teacher is not bothered by this despite societal expectations for him to put in maximum effort.
Lines (25 - 28)
Feeling defeated and frustrated, the teacher expresses that he does not care if his students learn or not because he knows that no matter how hard he tries they will not be motivated to seek knowledge as they lack an interest in their studies. The teacher believes that there has been a failure in communication between him and his students. He does not want to expend his energy in vain and is not bothered if his students use their energy for other pursuits instead of education. He believes it is pointless to try and persuade students to learn against their own will. To escape the monotony of dealing with unruly students, he chooses to wait for the end of the day.
Text Queations of "The Last Lesson of the Afternoon"
Question 1
Ans: The first line of the poem sets a tone of frustration, disinterest and exhaustion from the perspective of the teacher.
Question 2
Ans: The poet D.H. Lawrence is the speaker in the poem.
Question 3
Ans: In the poem, the students are portrayed as disobedient and uncontrollable like wild dogs. The teacher is unable to control them further as they have no interest in their studies and exhibit wild, impolite and disobedient behavior.
Question 4
Ans: The words that convey the speaker mood are.
1. Endure
2. Brunt.
The phrases which convey the speaker mood are:
1. I am sick.
2. What on earth is the good of it all?
3. What good to them or me?
Question 5
Ans: The speaker is referring to energy when they say "fuel". They no longer want to use this energy because they have been unsuccessful in motivating their students to learn. Therefore they have decided to conserve their energy and not waste it on students who are not willing to learn.
Question 6
Ans: The expression "Take the toll of their insults in punishments" signifies meting out penalties in retaliation for the verbal abuse. It implies that the students habitually abused the teacher by ignoring his lessons and the teacher would retaliate by imposing penalties on them.
Question 7
Ans: The teacher believes that the efforts he puts into teaching and the students efforts to learn are pointless because the students lack interest in their studies. Consequently the teacher has also lost interest in teaching them.
The words which depict the teacher's indifference are:
1) Abyss
2) Sit
3) Wait for the bell
The phrases which show the teacher‟s indifference are:
1) It all goes down the same abyss
2) It is all my aunt.
3) Beat our heads against the wall.
4) I m supposed to care.
Question 8
Ans: The poem starts and finishes with the monotonous emotions of a teacher. The opening lines convey the teachers reluctance to be in the classroom and teach his students and this sentiment is repeated at the end of the poem. In the middle the teacher makes an effort to create excitement in teaching but ultimately gives up towards the conclusion of the poem.
Question 9
Ans: The poem conveys the emotions of a teacher who feels unappreciated and unsatisfied with their job. As a teacher it is their responsibility to give their all to their students. However teaching is not a one-sided endeavor as the students must also be willing to learn. To make the teaching-learning process successful the students must be motivated and eager to learn. Despite the teacher's best efforts in the poem they are unable to inspire their students. It appears that the teacher is not equipped to handle unruly students and has made the decision to leave teaching and focus on something more fulfilling.
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