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READ THIS
The poet is at the end of his tether. He is a teacher who has lost his zest for teaching.
Indeed, he can no longer see the point of attempting to drag his pack of unruly children into an
appreciation of anything.
He makes the decision to give up and save his strength for himself. He will simply pass the time waiting
for the bell to ring.
ABOUT THE POET
David Herbert Lawrence was born in Nottinghamshire in September 1885, the fourth child of an
uneducated coal miner.
This working class background, together with constant friction with his illiterate and drunken father,
provided him much material for his later poetry, novels and short stories.
He initially went to Beauvale Board School but then won a scholarship to attend Nottingham High School.
His first employment was as a junior clerk at a surgical appliances factory until forced to resign because
of T.B. It was during his period of convalescence that he gained his extreme love for reading, writing and
poetry.
From 1902 to 1906, he served as a student teacher in his hometown of Eastwood, whereupon he studied
and acquired a teaching certificate from University College, Nottingham.
It was during those years that he wrote his first poems, some short stories, and a novel which was
published as The White Peacock.
The young Lawrence hated teaching -- a theme made clear in his poem "Last Lesson of the
Afternoon" -- but luckily his writing ability caught the eye of major publishers and enabled him to
follow a professional career as a writer and an artist.
He achieved a massive reputation as a novelist and a poet. His most famous books were Sons and
Lovers and Lady Chatterly's Lover.
During the 1st World War, Lawrence was accused of spying for the Germans and was constantly
harassed by the British authorities. As soon as the war ended, therefore, he left England to live in Italy
-- where he wrote his now famous poem "Snake".
He died of T.B. in March 1930 while at a sanatorium in France. He was just 45 years of age.
Have you looked at the questions
in the right column?
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TEST YOURSELF!
Read the left column and then answer
the following questions:
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!
- What is meant by the expression, "it is all my aunt!"? (2)
[Need help?]
"It's all my aunt!" is a British expression of disbelief which means "rubbish" or
"nonsense".
Is it Cockney Rhyming Slang? "Cant" means "rubbish" or "nonsense". But
"cant" rhymes with "aunt".
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- Why does the poet not see any point to his learners being able to "write a description of a
dog"? (4)
[Need help?]
D.H. Lawrence was teaching in England at the beginning of the era of compulsory education.
Many of the kids in his class had no desire to learn and certainly no desire to be at school. Indeed, they
wouldn't be receiving much of an education.
Thereafter they would go out and join the vast mass of the working class who had no need to be able to
write a description of a dog -- or to write anything more than their signature for that matter.
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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.
- What is the poet's final decision? (4)
[Need help?]
The poet's decision is essentially to stop wasting his time attempting to teach learners who had no desire
to learn.
Instead, he would leave them to their own devices and wait for the bell to ring which would end both their
agonies.
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GENERAL QUESTIONS:
Which of the following BEST describes the FEELING of the poem: anger; sorrow; jubilation;
frustration; despair. Don't forget to have a reason to justify your answer. (4)
[Need help?]
No, there's no sorrow here and the poet has absolutely nothing to be jubilant about.
He is suffering a degree of despair, but don't you think he is more angry and frustrated than despairing?
The poet is certainly angry. He has so much to give the learners but they want none of it.
He is also angry at the British educational system which tells him he must treat all learners like little roses
to be cultivated, whereas most of them are in fact not roses at all but rather a bunch of stinging nettles.
Treat a nettle like a rose, Lawrence once said, and all you'll have to show for it is stung fingers!
Is his anger greater than his frustration? Indeed, the poet is really frustrated. But is his frustration greater
than his anger?
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Which of the following words BEST describes the TONE of this poem: ironic; sarcastic; angry;
pitiful? Again, don't forget to give reasons for your answer. (4)
[Need help?]
There doesn't appear to be any irony here, does there? Nor pity.
The poet is certainly being most sarcastic but is this more important than his anger?
The poet is certain angry. He is also being most sarcastic. Which one is more important?
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Does the poet enjoy teaching? Justify your answer. (6)
[Need help?]
In the early days of his career, Lawrence certainly did enjoy teaching. Read his poem "The Best of
School" and you'll find Lawrence in precisely that mood.
"Last Lesson of the Afternoon", however, was written towards the end of the poet's teaching career
when the frustration of the work had gotten to him.
He was angry with the British educational system which instructed that he treat all learners like little roses
to be cultivated, whereas most of them were in fact not roses at all but stinging nettles.
Treat a nettle like a rose, the poet once said, and you'll have nothing to show for it but stung fingers.
It was shortly thereafter that he chose to give up teaching in favour of writing and art.
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The poet asks, "Why should we beat our heads against the wall of each other?"
- Is this an example of a: a simile; metaphor; personification; alliteration? (4)
[Need help?]
Alliteration is the repetition of the consonant at the beginning of each word: "big black block" and
"rifles' rapid rattle". There is certainly no alliteration here.
On the other hand, personification happens when an inanimate or inhuman thing is given human
characteristics. This has also not happened here.
A simile is an indirect comparison. Often it can be recognised by the use of "like", "as" or
"than" although be careful because similes do sometimes use other words. Nevertheless, what
you see here is certainly not a simile.
We are therefore certainly looking at a metaphor. The poet sees a metaphorical wall separating him from
the learners against which each is beating his head.
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- When the poet asks, "Why should we beat our heads against the wall of each other?", what
would his answer be? (4)
[Need help?]
Probably the poet would say, "We shouldn't!"
In the modern world, we speak of a "win / win" situation. In everything we do, we should all be
winners.
There are occasions when we may make the sacrifice for the sake of the other but, advocates of the
win/win situation argue, this should be very seldom. Rather walk away before it destroys you.
And destroy you, it will. If, at every turn, someone else wins while you lose, then what is the point?
On the other hand, it is also not right for you always to win at someone else's expense.
In reality, Lawrence saw that he would be doomed always to be the loser and so he chose to give up
teaching and focus on his writing where he was more likely to be the winner.
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- Do you think that Lawrence is expressing a desire for the weekend to arrive and save him from these
children, or is he showing a despair at teaching in itself? Motivate your answer. (2)
[Need help?]
If one considers that Lawrence soon gave up teaching, what does this tell you?
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