CHAPTER – 1 ‘THE LAST LESSON’
By – Alphonse Daudet
Points to remember:
• Franz is a student at a school. One day, he was going to school though he
was late, he decided to go anyway.
• On the way to school, he finds everyone huddled around a bulletin board.
Unclear as to what the commotion is about, he quietly goes and sits in his
place.
• Soon, he discovers that it was M. Hamel’s (his French teacher) last day, as
per the order from Berlin, French in school will no more be taught.
• M. Hamel tells the children how important French language is and how they
must not forget it despite it not being taught. He looks back at his memories
of being a French teacher for the past 40 years.
• Franz realizes the importance of his mother tongue and his teacher... He
comes to know that M. Hamel has to leave the country. As the clock struck
12, the bell rang, and M. Hamel dismissed the class.
Think as you Read:
1. What was Franz expected to be prepared with for school that day?
Ans: The lesson on participle was expected to be prepared by Franz.
2. What did Franz notice that was unusual about the school that day?
Ans: The school had lots of hustle and bustle in the morning. There was
commotion caused by the opening and closing of desks, lessons being repeated
in unison, and the rapping of a ruler on the desk. Everything was missing that day.
There was a strange stillness in the air that was actually a characteristic of a
“Sunday Morning”.
3. What had been put up on the bulletin board?
Ans: An order from Berlin for the general public was displayed on the bulletin
board. It mentioned that only German will be taught to students in the schools of
Alsace and Lorraine.
1
Think as you Read
1. What changes did the order from Berlin cause in school that day?
Ans: The order from Berlin stated that German would be taught in all the schools.
There was a general sadness about not being able to learn and respect the mother
tongue for long. They were forced to learn the language of the oppressors. The
school came to a standstill and M. Hamel was in his special dress that he wore on
special occasions. He taught the last lesson more lovingly and sympathetically.
The villagers also came to attend the classes and sat on the backbenches as a
tribute to M. Hamel for teaching their native language for so long.
2. How did Franz's feelings about M. Hamel and school change?
Ans: Franz never enjoyed going to school. The news came as a shock to him and
he was sad about this lesson being the last French lesson that Mr. Hamel would
teach. He never liked him but grew sympathetic towards him, understanding the
agony and pain he must be going through. The idea of being separated from him
forever, pained him and he forgot about his crankiness and ruler. He wished that
he would have paid attention in the classes earlier. M. Hamel taught so lovingly
that day that even the difficult concepts appeared easy.
Understanding the Text
1. The people in this story suddenly realize how precious their language is
to them. What shows you this? Why does this happen?
Ans: The notice on the bulletin stated that German would be taught in all schools
instead of French. The whole village was unhappy about this order from Berlin. In
school, the regular commotion was replaced with silence. A few villagers came to
attend the class as a last tribute to M. Hamel for teaching their mother tongue and
their repentance for not putting enough effort to learn it. M. Hamel also stated that
people realize the importance of something when they lose it and similar was the
case with their language, French.
2. Franz thinks, "Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?"
What could this mean? (There could be more than one answer.)
Ans: Language carries the heritage and culture of the speaker. It connects an
individual to their roots and culture. It’s not only a means of communication but
binds people speaking the same language together. Franz points out the fact that
the government can make them learn their language forcibly at school but they
can’t change the love that the people have for the language. They might learn the
language in school but still won’t lose touch with their language and find every
possible occasion to speak or sing in it. They can cage the spirit of the humans but
the birds are free. They can’t capture them nor make them sing in different tone.
2
Talking about the Text
1. "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: Some examples of the native language taken away from its people and/or
imposition of the language of the conqueror are:
(a) Portuguese became the lingua franca of Angola.
(b) English imposed on the various Celtic peoples.
(c) Spanish imposed on the Basques and the Catalans.
(d) Turkish imposed on the Kurds.
2. What happens to a linguistic minority in a state? How do you think they
can keep their language alive?
Ans: A linguistics minority doesn’t have much liberty to propagate their language.
They often have to learn the language of the majority of speakers so that they can
blend and be accepted in society. Language becomes a barrier in communication
because of this and blocks interaction. This makes universal language like English
quite popular. The language represents the culture of an individual and must be
respected and accepted. It allows an individual to be more authentic and keeps
them alive and happy from within.
3. Is it possible to carry pride in one's language too far? Do you know what
'linguistic chauvinism' means?
Ans: Yes, it is surely possible to carry pride in one's language too far if one is fond
of one's own language at the cost of others. Indifference towards other languages
is not healthy for any democracy like India. When the sense of belonging to one's
own language crosses the thin line between 'pride' and 'proud', it becomes
linguistic chauvinism. If people feel good about their languages and traditions, they
must have tolerance for other languages too. Everybody has the right to follow the
religion as well as speak the language as per his/her desire.