The ‘Last Lesson’ by Alphonse Daudet Summary and Question Answer

The ‘Last Lesson’ by Alphonse Daudet is mainly about the longing to learn the mother tongue and love for it. It has a sense of patriotism. 

In the ‘Last Lesson’ the Prussians rejected the freedom of the people of  Lorraine and Alsace to learn their own mother tongue and started forcing German onto them.  The colonizers took away the basic rights of the people. When the students could not learn their own language, they sensed a feeling of being restricted and being forced to not do something that they enjoy doing and find their solace in. The practice of linguistic chauvinism is highlighted in this story to draw our attention. It throws light upon the pride one owns in their mother tongue and considering other languages not equally worthy. 

People of Lorraine and Alsace were the victims of linguistic chauvinism They were forced to learn German. Franz, a school student who was always reluctant in his French class and never took it seriously, saw how important it was to learn his mother tongue.  This quality of people displays that humans respect things more when they see it going. Also, the parents preferred to see their children working well rather than learning French.

 

In the later years they realised how much they missed learning French and felt sorry about it. How Prussians drilled their land is shown by how unfairly they were treated in their own motherland.

The narrator was late for school in the morning. He was a little scared for his French class as he never really cared about it and made efforts to learn it. Therefore, he felt uneasy that the teacher might ask questions regarding the same. He spent a little time contemplating whether he should just call it a day and go on to enjoy the rest of his day. Since he did not prepare anything, he wanted to skip school but still decided to attend it. On the way to school, even the most trivial seemed so interesting to him. 

The narrator saw that there was a huge crowd in front of the bulletin board in the town hall. That bulletin board was the harbinger of the bad news for the last two years. All the information on lost wars and other depressing news was put there. He just skipped past it as he did not feel like listening to anything sad. 

The narrator notices that the school was disturbingly silent as compared to the general state of the school when it starts. Generally one could hear the recitation of the lessons and hustle-bustle of students in the school. 

In fact, he was pretty accustomed to hiding in the noise and reaching his desk without getting noticed. But now he went in before everybody. He was quite afraid of the French class and sitting there, before everyone made him uncomfortable. 

M. Hamel, who was strict with the narrator in the past, asked him to sit down politely. Franz was confused as M. Hamel was in his special set of informal clothes that he wore on only prize days and inspection days. It was a pretty green dress, complete with a beautiful black embroidered cap. The atmosphere was extremely sad and silent. The most astonishing thing was that the village elders were also sitting on the backbenches of the class. These benches were usually left empty. 

M. Hamel quietly sat on his chair and spoke in a gentle and grave tone, “My children, this is the last lesson I shall give you.” He informed everyone that an order had been released from Berlin. German is the only language that would be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. 

His last lesson in the school and the German teacher will join the school from the next day. This made the narrator sad, even though he never really liked M. Hamel because all he could think of was his ruler and him tapping the ruler aggressively on the tables and forcing students to do his personal tasks for him, such as putting Franz to work by telling him to tend to his garden. He started regretting all the times he wished he did not have to learn French or just decided to slack off and carry on his ordinary chores like collecting eggs or chasing birds. He thinks of all the time he could have spent learning and reading his mother tongue. 

The narrator felt guilty and ashamed for not trying to learn his lessons in French. He never liked his books. He had no interest in studies. He didn’t like his Grammar and History books. But now he was fascinated by them. He started to like M. Hamel. The thought that he will not teach him from tomorrow made him forget about all his rulers. 

The village elders, including the former mayor, Mr Hauser and the former postman, also looked very sad about the class. They seemed to be very interested and spent a good amount of time focusing on the lesson. It was clear that they regretted their past actions and wished they had gained more knowledge when they had the chance. 

He forgot how crazy his teacher was. It was his turn to repeat the lesson. He wanted to read out the lesson and explain the participles nice and loud but he got confused and mixed up. Usually, this type of mistake would have made M. Hamel angry but surprisingly this time he did not even care to notice it. 

This made M. Hamel think about how people usually just put off learning to the next day or the days in the future but now that the last day has come, there is not much that can be done. M. Hamel spoke about his concern on how all the French people think of education and learning their language as a secondary thing after earning money by working at a mill, etc. He accuses himself of doing the same thing as well. 

M.Hamel then changed the topic to talk about the French language itself. It was the beauty of the language that took over him because his speech was better than ever and brought everyone in the room to tears, including the former Mayor and the elders. He spoke about the beauty and ease of the language itself and continued to a lesson in Grammar.

The ‘Last Lesson Question Answer

How did Franz’s Feelings About M. Hamel and School change?

Franz usually never paid attention in class and was scolded by the teachers because of it. But something about the last lesson by M. Hamel made him want to listen. He paid attention to the class like never before and realised how easy the language seemed to be. He was listening with so much intent, and M. Hamel was putting in an equal effort because the narrator had never seen him explain anything with such great patience.

 

This was followed by a writing activity, which was followed meticulously by every single person, so much so that the only sound to be heard was the sound of pens against the paper. Franz had never witnessed such a class in his entire time at school and was moved by it.

 

The narrator noticed the teacher looking at every object in the classroom with so much focus, and he thought to himself that M.Hamel was memorising everything in his tiny classroom, the gardens, all of it. After forty years of work, he thought about how hard it would be to move out of a place and felt sad for the poor man.

 

The next lesson was in history, during which the former mayor was listening to the class wearing glasses, moved so much that he was crying. The narrator found this funny and thought of how memorable this last lesson turned out to be.

 

Finally, M.Hamel wanted to say something to the class after the clock had struck. However, he choked on his words and wrote boldly on the board “Viva la France”.

Why did M Hamel write ‘Vive La France!‘ on the Blackboard?

He wrote it as a sign of opposition to imposing the teaching of German in the schools of Alsace instead of French. It was a portrayal of his love for French and French culture. 

The people of Alsace did not give any importance to the language French from the very beginning of the story, however, unlike others M.Hamel showed his concern. People of Alsace ignored learning their own native language and paid no heed . It was not the case only with Franz but many others were also guilty of not learning French. According to the narrator, the French language was the most beautiful language in the world and therefore, it should be respected and acknowledged by everyone.

 

1. Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meanings from the context.

In great dread of

Ans: fearful in anticipation of something

Counted on

Ans: to rely or trust on somebody/something

Thumbed at the edges

Ans: worn or soiled edges caused by frequent handling

In unison

Ans: something happening or being done at the same time

A great bustle

Ans: an excited (and often noisy) activity or a rapid, active commotion

Reproach ourselves with

Ans: to express disapproval, criticism, or disappointment 

 

The ‘Last Lesson Question Answer

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. The 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 only German to be taught to students in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine.

 

The ‘Last Lesson Question Answer

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 your mother tongue for long. They were forced to learn the language of the oppressors. The school came to a standstill and Mr. Hamel wore his green coat 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 Mr. 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. Mr. Hamel taught so lovingly that day that even the difficult concepts appeared easy.

 

Understanding The ‘Last Lesson’  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. Few villagers came to attend the class as a last tribute to Mr. Hamel for teaching their mother tongue and their repentance for not putting enough effort to learn it. Mr. Hamel also stated that we realize the importance of something when we 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?

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 force them to 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 their will to communicate and love their language.

 

Talking about 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?

For example Punjabis in Bangalore Tamilians in Mumbai Kannadigas in Delhi Gujaratis in Kolkata

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. In fact, it is disparaging to distort the names of communities, for example, Bongs for Bengalis, Gujju for Gujaratis, etc.

 

Working with Words

1. English is a language that contains words from many other languages. This inclusiveness is one of the reasons it is now a world language, for example Petite - French

Kindergarten - German

Capital - Latin

Democracy - Greek

Bazaar - Hindi

 

Find out the origin of the following words.

Tycoon, tulip, logo, bandicoot, barbecue, veranda, robot, zero, ski, trek

Ans:

Tycoon - Japanese

Tulip - French

Logo – Greek

Bandicoot - Telugu

Barbecue - Spanish

Veranda - Hindi

Robot - Czech

Zero - Italian

Ski - Norwegian

Trek – Dutch.

 

2. Notice the underlined words in these sentences and tick the option that best explains their meanings.

(a) “What a thunderclap these words were to me!”

The words were

(i) Loud and clear.

(ii) Startling and unexpected.

(iii) Pleasant and welcome.

Ans: (ii) startling and unexpected.

 

(b) “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.”

It is as if they have the key to the prison as long as they

(i) Do not lose their language.

(ii) Are attached to their language.

(iii) Quickly learn the conqueror's language.

Ans: (ii) Are attached to their language.

 

(c) Don't go so fast, you will get to your school in plenty of time. You will get to your school

(i) Very late.

(ii) Too early.

(iii) Early enough.

Ans: (iii) Early enough.

 

(d) I never saw him look so tall. M. Hamel

(a) Had grown physically taller.

(b) Seemed very confident.

(c) Stood on the chair.

Ans: (b) Seemed very confident.

 

1. Read this sentence.

M. Hamel had said that he would question us on participles. In the sentence above, the verb form “had said” in the first part is used to indicate an “earlier past.” The whole story is narrated in the past. M. Hamel's “saying” happened earlier than the events in this story.

This form of the verb is called the past perfect.

Pick out five sentences from the story with this form of the verb and say why this form has been used.

Ans: 

In the following sentences, two activities of the past, occurring at two different points of time in the past, are indicated.

The one that happens earlier takes the “had”+ past form of the verb (V3), 

while the one that follows it takes the simple past form of the verb (V2).

Sentences in past perfect form (Reason/ Explanation)

(i) For the last two years all our bad news has come from there.

Reason: The 'coming' of bad news happened earlier than the bulletin in the story.

(ii) Hauser had brought an old primer.

Reason: The event of 'bringing' happened earlier than Franz noticed it.

(iii) That was what they had put up at the town hall!

Reason: The 'putting up' of the bulletin happened earlier. Now it is recalled.

(iv) they had not gone to school more.

Reason: The action of not going* happened much earlier.

(v) the hopvine that he had planted himself twined about the windows to the roof.

Reason: The 'planting' of hop vine happened earlier than its twining about the windows.

 

2. Write a paragraph of about 100 words arguing for or against having to study three languages at school.

Ans: For: Learning new languages at an early age helps a child to build up a more cosmopolitan view. The child is more accepting towards new cultures, people and excited to learn and know about them. It also provides sufficient international exposure to the child and would aid his communication if they plan to travel abroad. It also opens doors to new job opportunities for them.

Against: It burdens kids at an incredibly early age. If they live in a country where the language is not frequently spoken, they forget it after some time. Kids don't have a natural inclination towards learning languages and should be taught to kids who demand it. No clear use of learning so many languages if you are not going to use it.

 

3. Have you ever changed your opinion about someone or something that you had earlier liked or disliked? Narrate what led you to change your mind.

Ans: As a child, I was never fond of vegetables. I would always skip them in a meal and would throw tantrums if I was forced to eat them. In recent years I started consuming vegetables, especially green leafy and seasonal vegetables since my health wasn't in the best possible shape. But my opinion changed when I saw the effect it had on my body and overall health. My skin felt better and my body was healthier. I started happily eating vegetables after that to take better care of myself.

 

Things To Do

1. Find out about the following (You may go to the internet, interview people, consult reference books, or visit a library.)

(a) Linguistic human rights

Ans: The human and civil rights that concern the individual and collective right to choose are called linguistic human rights. These rights provide an individual to choose the language for communication, in public or private.

(b) Constitutional guarantees for linguistic minorities in India

Ans: India is a secular and democratic country. Various articles in the Constitution help to support this. Article 350 A asks every state to provide primary education in mother tongue and special offers for linguistic minorities under Article 350 B

 

What is the Importance of  the Last Lesson?

The people in the story, ‘The Last Lesson’, come to the sudden realisation of how precious their native language is and what value it holds for them. This happens when the French districts of Alsace and Lorraine are captured by the Prussians, as evident in the story. This results in the issuing of an order from Berlin which makes it mandatory for everyone to teach and learn only German in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. 

The commotion at school, which was an everyday phenomenon, was now replaced by the peace of Sunday church. The students now started displaying sincerity towards their French lessons and worked quietly. The silence was so powerful that the scratching of pens across pieces of paper was the only sound heard. Moreover, the villagers in that locality started attending the French classes quietly as students. Everyone appeared to be morose and regretful. 

As a consequence of the order, the French teacher, M. Hamel was unable to stay in his old school and had to leave. However, even in his last lesson, he made sure to instill devotion and sincerity among his pupils. His students were overwhelmed by a sense of regret for having ignored their mother language and deprived it of its due credit for so long. Franz, who was otherwise a very reluctant pupil, regretted not paying close attention to M. Hamel and his lessons. 

The story of ‘The Last Lesson’ underpins the fact that humans tend to realise and value something only when they no longer possess it. The regret and sorrow of the students and their teacher, M. Hamel, are evident as it dawns upon them how they had taken things for granted. The story established the importance of one’s mother tongue and that our native language is what gives us our identity, liberty, and dignity.