Jammu and Kashmir Board Class 10 English Last Lesson of the Afternoon Summary, Lesson Explanation with difficult word meanings from Tulip Book
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Last Lesson of the Afternoon Jammu and Kashmir Board Class 10 English
D.H. Lawrence
- Last Lesson of the Afternoon Introduction
- Theme of the Poem
- Last Lesson of the Afternoon Summary
- Last Lesson of the Afternoon Summary in Hindi
- Last Lesson of the Afternoon Poem Explanation
- Last Lesson of the Afternoon Figures of Speech
Last Lesson of the Afternoon Introduction
The poem “Last Lesson of the Afternoon” by D.H. Lawrence tells us about the frustration and exhaustion of a teacher who feels that his students are not interested in learning. Throughout the poem, the teacher explains his weariness while trying to teach students who seem to resist every attempt he makes to inspire them. He compares his students to unruly dogs that won’t listen, and he feels like his efforts to make them learn are a waste of energy. The teacher wonders what good all his hard work is doing if neither he nor his students seem to care anymore. In the end, he decides not to push himself to teach them if they are not willing to learn.
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Theme of the Poem Last Lesson of the Afternoon
The theme of “Last Lesson of the Afternoon” by D.H. Lawrence revolves around the frustration and disillusionment of a teacher faced with students who lack interest in learning. The poem explores how constant disengagement from students can lead a dedicated teacher to feel drained and question the purpose of his efforts. It reflects on the emotional toll of teaching when passion and hard work feel wasted, highlighting themes of burnout, the struggle for motivation, and the seeming futility of trying to inspire an unwilling audience.
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Last Lesson of the Afternoon Summary
The poem “Last Lesson of the Afternoon” by D.H. Lawrence talks about the teacher wondering when the bell will ring to signal the end of the school day. He feels very exhausted, as if he has been dragging his students along like a pack of unruly dogs. These students are not interested in learning, and he finds it increasingly difficult to motivate them to engage with the lessons. He compares his students to a group of wild hounds that he can’t control or guide toward learning. He says that he can no longer handle the heavy burden of his work. He feels overwhelmed and exhausted, as if he’s carrying a weight that has become too much to bear. He is looking at all the books and assignments spread across the desks—there are sixty tasks in total that the students have given him to review or grade. He feels overwhelmed and frustrated by this workload and wonders what the purpose of it all is, doubting if any of it has real value for himself or the students. He questions the value of what they are doing together, feeling that neither he nor the students can see any good coming from the lessons. This sense of frustration leads him to consider whether he should continue to put effort into teaching when his students show so little interest. In a moment of reflection, he thinks about using his last bit of energy to ignite a passion for learning in his students.
However, he quickly decides against it. He doesn’t want to waste his strength on those who do not care about their education. He feels that it is pointless to try to teach students who do not want to learn, and he questions the purpose of their learning and his teaching.
The teacher continues to express his feelings of indifference and frustration, stating that he will not waste his energy on teaching them. He insists that he doesn’t care about their mistakes or their progress. He realizes that both he and the students are stuck in a cycle of disinterest and lack of motivation. Finally, the teacher resigns himself to the situation, feeling that it is better to save his energy for himself rather than trying to force something that is not working. He concludes by stating that he will simply wait for the bell to ring, signaling the end of the lesson. This decision reflects his desire to escape the exhausting situation he finds himself in.
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Last Lesson of the Afternoon Summary in Hindi
डी.एच. लॉरेंस की कविता “दोपहर का अंतिम पाठ” शिक्षक के बारे में बताती है कि वह सोच रहा था कि स्कूल के दिन के अंत का संकेत देने के लिए घंटी कब बजेगी। वह बहुत थका हुआ महसूस करता है, मानो वह अपने छात्रों को अनियंत्रित कुत्तों के झुंड की तरह घसीट रहा हो। इन छात्रों को सीखने में कोई दिलचस्पी नहीं है, और उन्हें पाठों में संलग्न होने के लिए प्रेरित करना उनके लिए कठिन होता जा रहा है। वह अपने छात्रों की तुलना जंगली कुत्तों के एक समूह से करता है जिन्हें वह नियंत्रित नहीं कर सकता या सीखने के लिए मार्गदर्शन नहीं कर सकता। शिक्षक का कहना है कि वह अब अपने काम का भारी बोझ नहीं संभाल सकता। वह अभिभूत और थका हुआ महसूस करता है, जैसे कि वह कोई ऐसा वजन उठा रहा हो जिसे सहना बहुत मुश्किल हो गया है। वह डेस्क पर फैली सभी पुस्तकों और असाइनमेंट को देख रहा है – कुल मिलाकर साठ कार्य हैं जो छात्रों ने उसे समीक्षा या ग्रेड देने के लिए दिए हैं। वह इस कार्यभार से अभिभूत और निराश महसूस करता है और सोचता है कि इसका उद्देश्य क्या है, उसे संदेह होता है कि क्या इसमें से किसी का भी उसके या छात्रों के लिए वास्तविक मूल्य है। वह एक साथ मिलकर जो कर रहे हैं उसके मूल्य पर सवाल उठाते हैं, यह महसूस करते हुए कि न तो वह और न ही छात्र पाठों से कोई अच्छा परिणाम देख सकते हैं। हताशा की यह भावना उन्हें इस बात पर विचार करने के लिए प्रेरित करती है कि क्या उन्हें शिक्षण में प्रयास जारी रखना चाहिए जब उनके छात्र इतनी कम रुचि दिखाते हैं। चिंतन के एक क्षण में, वह अपने छात्रों में सीखने के जुनून को जगाने के लिए अपनी आखिरी ऊर्जा का उपयोग करने के बारे में सोचता है।
हालाँकि, वह तुरंत इसके विरुद्ध निर्णय लेता है। वह अपनी ताकत उन लोगों पर बर्बाद नहीं करना चाहते जिन्हें अपनी शिक्षा की परवाह नहीं है। उनका मानना है कि जो छात्र सीखना नहीं चाहते उन्हें पढ़ाने का प्रयास करना व्यर्थ है, और वह उनके सीखने के उद्देश्य और अपने शिक्षण पर सवाल उठाते हैं।
शिक्षक अपनी उदासीनता और हताशा की भावनाओं को व्यक्त करते हुए कहते हैं कि वह उन्हें पढ़ाने में अपनी ऊर्जा बर्बाद नहीं करेंगे। वह इस बात पर जोर देते हैं कि उन्हें उनकी गलतियों या उनकी प्रगति की परवाह नहीं है। उसे एहसास होता है कि वह और छात्र दोनों उदासीनता और प्रेरणा की कमी के चक्र में फंस गए हैं। अंत में, शिक्षक खुद को स्थिति से हार मान लेता है, यह महसूस करते हुए कि जो काम नहीं कर रहा है उसे जबरदस्ती करने की कोशिश करने के बजाय अपनी ऊर्जा को अपने लिए बचाना बेहतर है। उन्होंने यह कहते हुए निष्कर्ष निकाला कि वह बस घंटी बजने का इंतजार करेंगे, जो पाठ के अंत का संकेत होगा। यह निर्णय उस थका देने वाली स्थिति से बचने की उसकी इच्छा को दर्शाता है जिसमें वह खुद को पाता है।
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Last Lesson of the Afternoon Poem Explanation
Poem:
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.
Word Meanings:
tug (v): to pull
leash (n): a leather strap for holding or controlling hounds
strain apart (v): make an intense effort to break away
hound (n): (kind of) dog used for hunting and racing
quarry (n): person, animal, bird, etc. being hunted or looked for
haul (v): to pull (with effort or force)
urge (v): to push; to persuade
weariness (n): great tiredness
unruly (adj.): difficult to control or manage
Explanation: The teacher is expressing his exhaustion and frustration. He wonders when the school bell will ring, signaling the end of the class, because he feels very tired. He describes his students as a “pack of unruly hounds,” which means they are wild and difficult to control. The teacher feels like he has been trying to manage them, but they are resistant to learning. He uses the metaphor of a leash to show how he feels when he is trying to guide them, but they are pulling away from him instead of following. The “quarry of knowledge” refers to the information and lessons he is trying to teach, but the students do not want to engage with it. He feels he cannot keep pushing them to learn because they don’t want to, and he feels completely worn out by the effort.
Poem:
No longer now can I endure the brunt,
Of the books that lie out on the desks; a full threescore
Of several 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
Word Meanings:
brunt (n): the main force of something unpleasant; strain or stress
threescore (n): sixty
Explanation: The teacher continues to express his feelings of frustration and exhaustion. The teacher is saying that he can no longer handle the heavy burden or pressure of teaching. He looks at the books scattered across the desks, referring to “threescore,” which means sixty in number or tasks that he has been given. He feels tired by the large amount of work he has to deal with. “Of several work that they have offered me” means that the students have given him various assignments and tasks. The tasks the students might have assigned to the teacher could include homework, essays, test papers, projects, or other assignments that he needs to check and give feedback on. These tasks are meant to reflect the students’ learning, but the teacher feels that neither he nor the students see any real benefit in completing or grading them.. When he says, “So shall I take,” it shows he is thinking about whether he should keep trying to teach.
Poem:
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 punishments? —I will not —
Word Meanings:
dross (n): anything considered to be worthless mixed with something else
heap (v): to pile things up
indifference (n): lack of interest in something
Explanation: The teacher talks about how he feels like he has very little energy left. He calls this last bit of energy “my last dear fuel of life,” which means it is important to him. He wants to use this last bit of strength to inspire his students and help them care about learning, like starting a fire. He believes this fire would burn away their “dross of indifference,” which means it would get rid of their lack of interest in school. He thinks about whether he should put up with their negative attitudes and disrespect, called “insults,” as part of his job. However, he ultimately decides not to do it. The words “I will not” show that he refuses to waste his remaining energy on students who don’t appreciate it. This part of the poem shows how frustrated he is and his decision to not waste his efforts on students who aren’t motivated.
Poem:
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 their 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.
Word Meanings:
amiss (adj.): wrong
abyss (n): hole so deep as to appear bottomless
it is all my aunt (v): I don’t care
Explanation: In this stanza the teacher says that he will not spend his energy and passion on teaching his students anymore. He questions why he should care about the mistakes they make or their lack of interest in learning. He feels that the teaching and learning process is pointless because it all seems to lead to nothing important, which he describes as going down the “same abyss.” He wonders if it really matters whether the students can write something simple, like a description of a dog. He feels that both he and the students do not care, saying, “to us both, it is all my aunt!” This expression shows his frustration and disbelief at having to care about their education when they do not seem to care either. He talks about the struggle he faces in trying to find motivation to care deeply when the students are not interested in what he is teaching.
Poem:
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.
Word Meanings:
beat our head / against a wall (v): attempt to do something that is clearly impossible
Explanation: The teacher says that he does not care about his students’ education anymore, and he has decided he will not put any more effort into it. He realizes that the students also do not care, so he feels there is no point in trying to force them to learn. Instead, he decides to save his energy for himself, rather than waste it on students who are not interested. He wonders why they should keep struggling against each other when it does not lead to anything positive. So, he chooses to sit quietly and wait for the school bell to ring, showing the end of the lesson. This shows that he feels tired and has given up on the situation.
JKBOSE Class 10 English Poem 8 Last Lesson of the Afternoon Figures of Speech
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects that are different in nature.
- “Pack of unruly hounds”- The students are compared to unruly hounds, symbolizing their resistance and lack of discipline in learning.
- “Quarry of knowledge”- Knowledge is likened to a quarry, suggesting that learning is something to be pursued or hunted.
- “Last dear fuel of life”- The teacher’s energy and passion for teaching are compared to fuel, highlighting how depleted he feels.
- “Dross of indifference”- The students’ apathy is compared to “dross,” or worthless residue, suggesting it is unworthy of the teacher’s energy.
- “Abyss”- The teacher’s and students’ efforts are compared to something falling into an “abyss,” implying a void where nothing meaningful results.
- Repetition: It is a literary device in which a word or phrase is used multiple times to create rhythm or emphasize a word or phrase.
- “I do not, and will not, they won’t and they don’t and that’s all!”: The repetition of “not” and “won’t” emphasizes the teacher’s sense of resignation and his decision to stop trying.
- Rhetorical Question: A rhetorical question is a figure of speech which comes in the form of a question that makes a point instead of seeking an answer.
- “What is the point of their teaching of mine, and of this / Learning of theirs?”: The teacher questions the purpose of his efforts and the students’ learning, reflecting his deep frustration.
- “What does it matter to me, if they can write / A description of a dog, or if they can’t?”: He questions the relevance of minor tasks, underscoring his growing disillusionment.
- Hyperbole: Hyperbole is a literary device used to draw emphasis through extreme exaggeration, with examples in film and literature.
- “A full threescore”- Sixty assignments are exaggerated to emphasize the overwhelming nature of the teacher’s workload.
- Personification: Personification is the representation of an abstract quality or idea in the form of a person, creature, etc., as in art and literature.
- “Endure the brunt / Of the books that lie out on the desks”- The books are described as if they actively create a burden or attack, emphasizing the weight of the work and monotony for the teacher.