The Last Lesson
Theme- The theme of The Last Lesson by Alphonse Daudet revolves around
patrio sm, love for one’s language, the pain of losing freedom, linguis c
chauvinism.
Q1. What was Franz expected to be prepared with for school that day?
Ans: That day Franz was expected to be prepared with par ciples because M. Hamel had said that
he would ques on them on par ciples. Franz did not know anything about par ciples.
Q2. What did Franz no ce that was unusual about the school that day?
Ans: Usually, when school began, there was a great bustle, which could be heard out in the street.
But it was all very s ll that day. Everything was as quiet as Sunday morning. There was no opening or
closing of desks. His classmates were already in their places. The teacher’s great ruler instead of
rapping on the table, was under M. Hamel’s arm.
Q3. What had been put up on the bulle n-board?
Ans: For the last two years all the bad news had come from the bulle n-board. An order had come
from Berlin to teach only German in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. The Germans had put up this
no ce on the bulle n-board.
Q4. What changes did the order from Berlin cause in school that day?
Ans: The order meant that the students would not be able to learn their mother-tongue French
anymore. M. Hamel who had been teaching French for the last forty years in that school would have
to vacate his posi on which would be taken by the new German teacher. The residents of Alsace
were shocked to hear that it would be their last French lesson.
Q5. How did Franz’s feelings about M. Hamel and school change?
Ans: Franz came to know that it was the last lesson in French that M. Hamel would give them. From
the next day they will be taught only German. Then he felt sorry for not learning his lessons properly.
His books, which seemed a nuisance and a burden earlier were now old friends. His feelings about
M. Hamel also changed. He forgot all about his ruler and how cranky he was.
Q6. The people in this story suddenly realise how precious their language is to them. What shows
you this? Why does this happen?
Ans: M. Hamel told the students and villagers that henceforth only German would be taught in the
schools of Alsace and Lorraine. Those who called themselves Frenchmen would neither be able to
speak nor write it. He praised French as the most beau ful, the clearest and most logical language in
the world. He said that for the enslaved people, their language was the key to their prison. Then the
people realised how precious their language was to them. This shows people’s love for their own
culture, tradi ons and country. Pride in one’s language reflects pride in the motherland.
Q7. Franz thinks, “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons’ What could this mean?
Ans: This comment of Franz shows a Frenchman’s typical reac on to the imposi on of learning
German, the language of the conquerors. Being deprived of the learning of mother-tongue would
mean cu ng off all bonds with the motherland. Teaching the pigeons to sing in German indicates
how far the Germans would go in their a empts of linguis c chauvinism. He wonders if the Prussians
would force the pigeons to coo in German. It is a rhetorical ques on which he asks himself. He knows
that mother-tongue is a natural phenomenon which cannot be banned. Language is to humans as
cooing is to pigeons. It is something natural and should not be taken away per force. Just like the
birds humans too should be free to use their na ve tongue.
Q8. “When a people are enslaved, as long as they hold fast to their language it is as if they had the
key to their prison.”
Can you think of examples in history where a conquered people had their language taken away
from them or had a language imposed on them?
Ans: Mother tongue helps a person to express his feelings and thoughts most lucidly and in mately.
Conquerors try to subdue and control the people of the enslaved territory by enforcing many
measures such as use of force to crush dissent and imposing their own language on them.
From me immemorial the victorious na ons have imposed their own language on the conquered
people and taken away their own language from them. The Romans conquered many parts of Europe
and replaced the local languages by their own language— La n. Later on, Spanish, Portuguese,
Italian and French developed from La n. The Muslim invaders-imposed Arabic and Persian in the
countries of Asia overpowered by them. In many Arab countries the local religion and language have
disappeared. In India, a new language Urdu developed from the mixture of Persian and Hindi.