The Last Lesson by Alphonse Daudet

THE LAST LESSON

The Last Lesson by Alphonse Daudet is a story (real) that presents how miserably the French people felt when their enemies banned French language in their schools. A short story for class 12, the Last Lesson makes us think of the importance of one’s own language.

Prussian troops conquered Alsace and Lorraine in the year 1870. They imposed new rules on the people. Today they banned French and introduced their language – German – in Alsace. All the French teachers have been ordered to quit their school. While people discussed their fate in silence, the French teacher was teaching his last class in his school. He was M Hamel. He had been teaching French for the last 40 years but he was not very dedicated. Nor were his students. With the ban imposed, both, the teacher and students realize their fault. They regret their laziness. They blame themselves.

Bit/Bits

A German coalition power called Prussia conquered two states of France – Alsace and Lorraine. /alsaas//lorein/ in the year 1870.

The new government imposed a number of regulations and bans on the people of these states.

A boy from Alsace is on his way to school. He is unwilling to school and scared of his teacher, M. Hamel. The boy’s name is Franz. Very lazy and very illiterate.

While passing the Town Hall, Franz sees so many French citizens overcrowded in front of the bulletin board (a huge notice board). They are reading the latest order from the Prussians, their enemies.

The order said:

No French school will hereafter teach French.

All French teachers are hereby ordered to leave the country.

Students should attend their schools and learn German as their language.

New teachers are already appointed.

Franz is illiterate so he cannot read the order. After halting for a while, Franz runs off to his school.

In the school Franz is told of the new order and of his teacher’s leaving the school.

Although never interested in learning, Franz for the first time, felt like blaming himself – for not having learnt his lessons.

He listened to M. Hamel’s last lecture. Wonder! He understood every word, every grammar, every rule.

The last class transformed his life and aptitude. He saw how important it is to be literate, how essential it is to love one’s mother tongue and how painful it is to be denied the right to learn one’s mother tongue!

Terms to Include in your Answers

M Hamel

Earlier – Rude, lazy, not dedicated

Change – Patient, patriotic, a deep love for French, not scolding, understanding Franz

Earlier – Lazy, not studious, wandering away from school, never cared about studies

Change – Suddenly started loving French, hated the Prussians, longed to study French Classroom

Earlier – Noisy, uncontrollable, chaotic, loud, no learning, no teaching.

Change – Calm, silent, greatly attentive

Prussians – Imposed new bans, marched everywhere, disregarded the freedom of the French people, barbaric, unfeeling, insensitive.

Ban – No more French, learn German instead, all French teachers leave the country.

The Alsace Public

Opening – Franz is going to School.

Two states of France, Alsace and Lorraine, were conquered by the Prussian troops in the beginning of the 1870 Franco-Prussian war. (The war lasted for only one year) The new government imposed rules and bans on the French people. The last of the bans was the ban on the learning and teaching of French.

The news of the ban was displayed on the bulletin board in front of the town hall. People crowded there to read the bulletin. They were very much shocked and sad. They had to accept the ban under great resentment. They saw how much they had loved their mother tongue. They saw how important their language was. They didn’t want to lose their language. They discussed their fate, shared their bitterness and felt helpless.

It was at this time Franz was rushing to his school. He was a student of the elementary school in Alsace run by Mister Hamel, the teacher who taught them French. He was, as usual, late. A blacksmith, Mr. Watcher, saw him dashing by. Watcher expressed his anger and helplessness at the ban on French by asking Franz not to go in such a hurry as there was no more French to be learnt. But Franz hurried on, because he didn’t understand what Mr. Watcher mean.


                                      TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS 

Page No: 7
Think As you Read

1. What was Franz expected to be prepared with for school that day?
Answer
Franz was expected to be prepared with participles that day as Mr. Hamel had told the class that he would be taking a test on the topic that day.

2. What did Franz notice that was unusual about the school that day?
Answer
Usually when the school began there would be a lot of commotion. But that day everything was quiet and it appeared to be like a Sunday, but the students were at their places and Mr. Hamel was walking up and down with his terrible iron ruler under his arm.

3. What had been put up on the bulletin-board?
Answer
The bulletin-board notified the general public about an order from Berlin. It stated that only German was to be taught to students in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine.


Page No: 8

1. What changes did the order from Berlin cause in school that day?
Answer
The order from Berlin brought all the routine hustle-bustle of the school life to a stand-still. The teacher, M. Hamel, became more sympathetic to his students and taught his lessons with more patience. The students became more attentive in their classes. The villagers, who were sitting at
the usually empty back benches and had come to show their respect and gratitude to M. Hamel, regretted not going to school more than they did. The order also brought about a great change in the feelings of the people towards their country and their native language. There was a general sadness about not being able to utilise the opportunities of learning French when it was easily accessible.

2. How did Franz's feelings about M. Hamel and school change?

Answer

Franz was shocked when M. Hamel told the students about the order from Berlin and that it was their last French lesson. He forgot about his teacher’s ruler and crankiness. He developed a fondness for M. Hamel at the troubling idea of being separated from him forever. He understood the pain and agony his teacher was undergoing. And, he became more sympathetic towards his teacher. His school too, now, carried a different meaning. His books and lessons seemed old friends whom he couldn’t give up. He realised with pain how much French meant to him and regretted not being attentive in his classes earlier. Suddenly, he felt that the ‘difficult concepts’ had never actually been difficult.

Page No: 9

1. The people in this story suddenly realize how precious their language is to them. What shows you this? Why does this happen?
Answer
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 beautiful, 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, traditions and country. Pride in one's language reflects pride in motherland.

2. Franz thinks, “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons ?” What could this means?
Answer

Alphonse Daudet’s ‘The Last Lesson’ very prominently raises the question of linguistic and cultural hegemony of the colonial and imperial powers and their lust for controlling the world and influencing their cultures and identities.This sentence could possibly mean that however hard the authorities try to embed German language in the culture of Alsace and Lorraine, the natural status of French, for them, will remain unchanged. French flows in the air and the entire place is imbued with its effect. Even though they train students in German, the basic mode of communication would remain unchanged like the cooing of the  Pigeons.  As it is next to impossible to alter the way pigeons sing, in the same way it is difficult for people to accept a language which is forcibly imposed on them. Adopting a new language causes pain and discomfort.

  

                                                             EXTRA  Questions & Answers

Q1. What did Watcher mean by saying Franz would get to his school in plenty of time?

Watcher, the blacksmith, meant it ironically. He meant there was no more French taught in the school as per the ban imposed by the Prussians and it would take a long time to get it back and therefore there was no need to hurry to his school.

Q2. What attracted Franz on his way to school?

Franz was attracted by the warm weather outside. The birds that chirped at the edge of the forest and the Prussian soldiers who were drilling also slowed down his interest to go to school.

Q3. Why was Franz late for school that day?

Franz was instinctively not interested in learning French language. That day he had to learn the rules of Participles and he was least prepared for that and was therefore afraid of his teacher, M. Hamel. Moreover, he was allured by the attractions on the way to school.

Q4. Why was Franz not able to understand if Mr. Wachter was teasing him or not?

Franz didn’t understand what Mr. Wachter meant by saying there was plenty of time for Franz to get to his school because he was illiterate and therefore didn’t understand the order published on the bulletin board.

Q5. What hidden message did Watcher’s advice to Franz contain?

Wachter’s advice for Franz hid a message for him. Having had no safe way to communicate to Franz and scared of working against the Prussian order, M Wachter was trying to tell him that there was no need to rush to his school as there was no French taught there anymore.

Q6. Describe the atmosphere of the school on usual days.

On usual days the school no longer looked like a school. The noises inside the school could be heard out in the street. Children were in a playful mood, opening and closing their desks and shouting their lessons in chorus. The teacher had to use his ruler to silence the class.

Next – At School

Once outside the school, Franz wondered at the silence around the school. It was never silent like this! Was it Sunday? He wondered. He waited for the noises from the school to get in without being noticed but there was not a sound. Finally he had to go in in front of all. To his amazement he was not punished for his late coming. M. Hamel, the cranky teacher, asked him to get in and regretted having begun the class without Franz. Franz took his seat.

Among others Franz noticed that the classroom was full and there were some old villagers sitting in the back benches. M. Hamel announced that it was their last French class as the Prussians had banned French in schools and introduced German instead. It was shocking news for Franz. Only then he understood why the people had been staring at the bulletin board. He too felt his love for French returning. He hated the Prussians for every reason. He began to love his teacher, classroom, books and lessons. He felt sorry for not learning his lessons, for postponing his study and for not realizing the greatness of his language.

                                                                   Questions & Answers

Q7. How did the classroom look different that last day? Whose presence was extraordinary?

For the first time in its existence, M. Hamel’s classroom looked like an ideal classroom. There was a deep silence in the class. No one spoke a word. All were sad. Besides, the presence of the villagers there was extraordinary.

Q8. Why was that class to be the Last Class?

Alsace was conquered by the Prussians and as a result a new order came from Berlin to ban teaching of French in the schools of Alsace. The order further said that all the French teachers like M. Hamel had to leave the territory within a day and therefore that class was to be the last class.

Q9. How had Franz’ books become ‘old friends for him?

Friends become sweeter when they depart from us. With the ban on French, his books were also going to separate from Franz and therefore they seemed to be old friends for him.

Q10. Franz related the extraordinary changes in the classroom to the ban on French that had been published on the bulletin board. How?

When Franz passed the bulletin board at the Town Hall, he didn’t know what was so curious about it. Later, when he reached his school there were changes and curiosity there too. Finally when he was told of the ban on French and of M. Hamel’s transfer, he connected the order on the bulletin board and the extraordinary changes in the classroom.

M. Hamel’s speech

Franz heard his teacher praising French, blaming French parents for not sending their children to school and children for not attending school. He also blamed himself for not being a committed teacher. M. Hamel said that language is very important for a nation because the unity of a nation mostly depended on its language and no aggression can make such a united nation its slave. There was complete silence in the class. Even the children made a sound. They were all sad. Franz heard pigeons cooing on the roof of the classroom and wondered if the Prussians wound impose a ban on their cooing-language the next day. He heard an old man, Hauser, reading lessons with the children. He too was crying.

Questions & Answers

What did M. Hamel mean by, ‘And now you see where we’ve come out!’

The people of Alsace were generally unwilling to learn their language. They left learning to another day and did all except that. Suddenly the ban on French was imposed by the Prussians and the people had no time left to learn their mother tongue.

How does M. Hamel blame the parents of his students?

The parents of his students were, in M. Hamel’s opinion, greedy for money. They considered learning less important than making a living. They used to send their children to work in the farms and mills to earn an extra amount of money.

How is a nation’s language important for its citizens beyond the mere use for communication?

Language is primarily important for communication. Besides, it has the amazing power to bind a nation together. Once a nation is thus united it can stand against all foreign aggression and safeguard its freedom. A nation that stands separated cannot stand against its enemy. Language is one of the most powerful elements that boosts the unity of a nation. If a nation has a single language it is said to be united and no aggression can conquer it.

The dead reaction to the beetles that flew into the classroom clearly said the children’s resentment to the ban on French. Explain.

In M. Hamel’s school beetles used to swarm in and children used to take that for fun, too. But that day there was an amazing change in the usual reactions to the beetles. Due to the shock and sadness caused by the ban on French even the little children took no notice of the beetles.

What changes had happened in and outside the classroom during the forty years of M. Hamel’s service? How do they speak of his incompetence?

M Hamel was sent to teach the Alsace population. Forty years passed yet Alsace remained illiterate. Only the desks and benches had been worn smooth; the walnut-trees in the garden were taller, and the hopvine that he had planted himself twined about the windows to the roof. Yet there was no change or growth in the literacy and education levels of the people.

Why did M. Hamel say that people should safeguard their language among themselves?

In M Hamel’s opinion language has great importance for every nation. If a nation is well literate, there will be a great unity and understanding among the citizens. If a nation safeguards its language, it is not likely that another nation can conquer it.

Why did Franz wonder if the Prussians would make even the pigeons coo in German?

Having felt helpless about the ban on French under the Prussian rule, Franz saw that imposing one’s language upon the defeated nation is inhuman. It can be considered as senseless as snatching the pigeon’s right to coo in any way it likes to.

“What would I not have given to be able to say that dreadful rule for participle all through, very loud and clear, and without one mistake?” What did Franz mean by this?

Franz wished if he could recite his lesson clearly, without any mistake so that he could please M Hamel, the sad teacher just because Franz could recite his lesson without any error.

“Now those fellows out there will have the right to say to you…” What will the fellows rightly say to the French men?

                                                                                                OR

What was the justification of the Prussians for imposing German on the Alsace population?

The Prussians had all the right reasons to impose German on the French citizens. Even though it was their way of annexing Alsace and Lorraine to Germany, they explained that it was their literacy program meant for Alsace.

Next – The class is dismissed!

The class is dismissed!

It was noon. The Prussian soldiers went marching by the school. Their sounds frightened everyone. If they noticed that a class was still progressing, they could have arrested M. Hamel. But M. Hamel showed amazing patriotism. He wanted to say, “Long live France” but he could not. Either he was overwhelmed by emotions or he was scared of the Prussians. He went to the black board and wrote as big as he could: vive la France! Long live, France!

Questions & Answers

How did old Hauser make a comic melodrama out of his presence in the class?

Hauser was an old man in Alsace. Like many others, he too was illiterate yet had an undying passion for learning French. The sight of him with his old alphabet books, reciting lessons with the little boys and girls, made everyone laugh at one point but at another point they felt sorry for him and for themselves remembering the bitter reality that they would not have another day to learn their mother tongue.

How does the author present a nation’s love for its lost freedom?

For the people of Alsace being conquered by another country wasn’t a new experience. But they had never foreseen that their freedom to learn their own language would be taken away from them one day. They had a teacher to teach them French but they never took him seriously. They used to put off learning for another day but one day came without another day to follow. Their freedom to learn their own language taken away from them, the people of Alsace realized its importance. Everyone, young and old, reflected the loss of something whose importance they realized only when it was taken away from them. They wanted their freedom back. They wished to learn their language as intensely as their teacher wished to teach them in an hour’s time. The usually boisterous classroom became a peaceful place of learning. Some felt a sudden love for their books that were once burden for them while others wept with their books in hand. The teacher became emotional and accepted his failure in teaching the people and his students strove to learn French in an hour. They hated the Prussians and themselves for their lost freedom.

How was the last class a new lesson for Franz?

Franz was a typical child of Alsace. He too, like the others, had put off learning for another day. To Franz learning French was very difficult. He loved anything except his own language. But when he was told that there was no more chance to learn of his language, Franz felt guilty of not having taken keen interest to learn it. It is obvious that Franz knew no French, if at all to read and write. All of a sudden his love for learning his language grew strong in him. He paid his full attention to his master Hamel. He understood every rule of the grammar, every sentence, very easy. The teacher no longer appeared to him cranky nor his terrible ruler any more terrorizing. He loved to learn French in an hour. He felt very sorry for not learning. The last class was unforgettable for Franz.

How had the natives of Alsace become victims of linguistic chauvinism?

Linguistic chauvinism is overt (high) preference for one’s language over those of others. Language is considered to be cultural identity of a particular group of people who use it. Imposing a foreign language on them hampers (disrupts, upset) their emotions and is a step to annex (conquer) their relationship with culture. The language of any country is the pride of that country. It not only defines the culture but also tells about the people, their literature and their history. The Last Lesson very prominently raises the question of linguistic and cultural hegemony (supremacy) of colonial and imperial past and their lust (desire) for controlling the world and influencing their cultures and identity. The words of little Franz, “will they make the pigeons coo in German” clearly raises the fact that the birds and animals cannot be forced to abandon their language to coo in the language of the oppressor. The Prussians, by imposing their language on the Alsacians, felt that they could rule over their territory as well as their minds but they did not realize that power cannot destroy a people’s pride in their own language.

Reference: www.kiddingtown.com/STUDYRANKERS/ WICKIPEDIA

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