CBSE Class 12 English The Last Lesson Notes Set 04

THE LAST LESSON

Alphonse Daudet

Chapter Sketch

The Last Lesson is set in the days of the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871). Led by Bismarck, Prussia defeated France, and the French districts of Alsace and Lorraine passed into Prussian hands. The two protagonists of the story, M Hamel and Franz, belong to Alsace. M Hamel is a French language teacher at a school and Franz is one of his students. The story revolves around how the war proves to be a life-altering event for both.

About the Author

Alphonse Daudet (1840-1897) was a French novelist and short-story writer. His actual experience of life at every social level and in the course of travels helped to develop his natural gifts. During the Franco-Prussian War, which had a profound effect on his writing, he enlisted in the French Army. France lost the war and his failing health forced him to go back to writing for the rest of his life.

About the Characters

• Franz: He is a sensitive and honest schoolboy who accepts his fault of ignoring his lessons.
• M Hamel: He is a sincere and strict teacher of the French language who is passionately patriotic. He breaks down at the end of his last lesson.

Summary of the Chapter

Franz is Reluctant to go to School

Franz started for school very late that morning. His French teacher, M Hamel, had announced that he would question the class on participles. Poor Franz did not know even a single word about them and was afraid of a scolding from his teacher. It was a bright sunny day and for a moment Franz thought of running away and spending the day outside. The chirping of birds and the marching of the Prussian soldiers was much more tempting than the rules of participles. However, Franz was able to fight the temptation and hurried off to school. On his way to school, Franz passed the town hall and noticed a crowd in front of the bulletin board. For the past two years, all the bad news had come from it and Franz thought about what the matter was this time. As he was hurrying past, Wachter, the blacksmith, called out to him and said that there was plenty of time to reach the school. Franz thought that he was making fun of him and reached the school panting.

M Hamel's Strange Behaviour

When Franz reached the school, he was very surprised to find that everything was quiet. Usually, when the school began, there would be a great commotion and activity. Franz had often counted on the commotion to get to his desk unnoticed. But, that day everything was as quiet as it was on a Sunday morning. Franz noticed that all of his classmates were already in their seats and M Hamel was walking up and down with his iron ruler under his arm. He had to open the door and reach his seat in front of everybody. He was blushing and was very frightened. What surprised and confused him more was that, instead of scolding him, M Hamel spoke very kindly to him and told him to take his seat.

Franz Notices Many Unusual Things at School

After Franz had calmed down, he noticed that M Hamel was wearing a special attire, which he wore only on special occasions. The whole school was so strange and a seriousness prevailed in the atmosphere. But what surprised and confused him most was to see the village people sitting quietly on the back benches. They all looked very sad.

The Order from Berlin

Franz was still wondering as he observed the changes around him, when M Hamel mounted on his chair and made the dreadful announcement. He told the class that it was their last French lesson. The order had come from Berlin to teach only German in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine and he would be leaving the school the next day. These words were a shock to little Franz. Now he remembered the gathering at the town hall. Franz was totally shocked by the sudden turn of events. He regretted not having learnt his lessons when there was still time. Now, he will never be able to learn them. He had wasted his precious time away from the class, engaging himself in useless activities like seeking bird’s eggs, going sliding on the Sarr river and so on. His books, which were a nuisance to him, suddenly felt like old friends. His feelings for his teacher too started changing. The thought that M Hamel was going away and Franz would never see him again, made him forget all about how cranky M Hamel was. Franz was feeling very sorry for him. It was in honour of his ‘last lesson’ that he had put on his fine clothes, and the village people had gathered there to express their gratitude towards him, and to show their respect for their country and their language.

M Hamel Criticises Himself and the People of Alsace

While Franz was thinking of all this, he heard his name called out; it was his turn to recite. He would have given anything to be just able to say the rule loud and clearly. But unfortunately, he got mixed up on the first words. He was ashamed and stood holding his desk. M Hamel said that he would not scold him. He criticised the people of Alsace for their habit of putting off learning for some time in the future. He blamed their parents for not taking interest in their studies. He also blamed himself for this. Often, he sent the students to water his plants or gave them a holiday when he had wanted to go fishing.

Importance of Mother Tongue

M Hamel then talked about the French language. He called it the most beautiful, the clearest and the most logical language in the world. He wanted the people of France to treasure their language. According to him, whenever the people of a particular nation are enslaved, as long as they are attached to their language, it is as if they have the key to their prison.

The Last Lesson

M Hamel opened a grammar book and taught them their last lesson. Franz was amazed to see how well he understood everything. Franz thought that probably he never paid much attention in the class and that M Hamel had never explained everything with so much patience. After that they had a lesson in writing. M Hamel had brought new copies for them that day. Everyone was immersed in their work. Even the little children sitting in the class were tracing their fish hooks, as if that was French too.

The Final Good Bye

All this while, M Hamel sat motionless in his chair. Franz thought that M Hamel wanted to imprint this classroom scene in his mind. For 40 years, he had given his faithful service to the school and now his sister was packing their stuff. All this must have been really heart breaking for him. Finally, they had a lesson in history. Everybody became emotional towards the end; some even started crying, but M Hamel had the courage and patience to hear every lesson to the last. Finally, as the church-clock struck twelve, M Hamel stood up. It was very evident that he had become emotional too. He tried to speak, but choked. Then he turned to the blackboard and wrote as large as he could ‘Vive La France!’ which means ‘long live France’. He then dismissed the class, signalling everyone to leave.

NCERT FOLDER

Think as you Read 

Question. What was Franz expected to be prepared with for school that day?
Answer: Franz was expected to be prepared for school that day with his lesson on participles. M Hamel, his French teacher, had announced that he would question the class on participles. But poor Franz didn't know even the first word about them.

Question. What did Franz notice that was unusual about the school that day?
Answer: Franz noticed many unusual things about school that day. First, normally when the school began there was much commotion, which was missing that day. Second, his teacher, M Hamel, had worn his ceremonial clothes. Third, which was most unusual, the village people were sitting quietly on the back benches, which were usually empty on other days.

Question. What had been put up on the bulletin-board?
Answer: An order that had come from Berlin had been put up on the bulletin-board. The order was that from the next day onwards, only German would be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. The new teacher for German would join the school from the following day.

Think as you Read 

Question. What changes did the order from Berlin cause on school that day?
or What changes did the order from Berlin cause on the day of the last lesson?
Answer: The order from Berlin caused the French language to be stopped from being taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine from that day. It stated that only German will be taught in the schools there from then onwards. This meant that M Hamel, the French teacher, would have to leave. This also caused the elder villagers to attend the school for the last lesson in French.

Question. How did Franz's feelings about M Hamel and school change?
Answer: Franz's feelings about M Hamel and school changed as he was shocked when M Hamel told the students about the order from Berlin and that it was their last French lesson. Franz forgot about his teacher's ruler and crankiness; instead, he started liking M Hamel, as he was being separated from M Hamel forever. His feelings towards his school also changed, as he did not want to give up his books and lessons, as they seemed to be old friends.

Understanding the Text

Question. The people in this story suddenly realise how precious their language is to them. What shows you this? Why does this happen?
Answer: When the order had come from Berlin that henceforth only German would be taught in schools, people realised that it was the last day to learn their mother tongue. To show their affection for the language, many elderly people came to attend school, occupying the last benches, which had usually remained vacant earlier. Franz regretted not having learnt the participles, when M Hamel suddenly apprised them of the fact that they would become a laughing stock before the Germans. Their language was their identity, the 'key' to their prison. The strongest evidence of how important their language was can be taken from M Hamel's mesmerising last lesson. Everyone was extremely attentive. Franz too found the lesson quite easy to understand, whereas earlier he had found the French classes very difficult.

Question. Franz thinks, "Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?" What could this mean? (There could be more than one answer.)
Answer: This thought of Franz could have any of the meanings given below.
(a) He may have meant that they all had grown up using French as their language. Now, taking it away from them would be unfair and unkind. The language was as natural to them as cooing is to the pigeons. Robbing them of it and forcing German on them would be not only difficult but next to impossible.
(b) It is difficult for people to accept a language which is imposed on them. French was their mother tongue and they were comfortable using it as their own. It would not be easy to switch to a different language.
(c) Language is a tool for communication. Adopting a new language causes pain and discomfort. It was not going to be easy for them to adapt to the new situation, that is, adopt German that was forced on to them. Moreover, they identified with the French language. It was a factor that helped them bond with their countrymen.

Talking about the Text 

Question. "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?
Answer: There are many examples in history where a conquered people had their language taken away from them or had a language imposed on them. Some of them are
(a) The Germanic tribes conquered the native Brythonic people of what is now England and imposed their culture and language upon them.
(b) When Puerto Rico became a possession of the United States as a consequence of the Spanish-American War, its population used the Spanish language. The Americans imposed English as the co-official language.
(c) The conquests of territories by Napoleon led to an imposition of French language on the people of the conquered areas as the official language in all the territories.

Question. 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 or Gujaratis in Kolkata.
Answer: A linguistic minority in a state cannot exercise linguistic skills like the natives of the state. At the workplace and educational organisations, English / Hindi or any other link language helps a lot to cope with the work and learning process. But, when it comes to understanding the basic norms of society, in order to socialise, they face linguistic barriers during communication.
To keep their language alive, the linguistic minorities can form small communities where they can celebrate their festivals as per their traditions. They can also continue to speak their native language in their homes and make their children learn the language. They should also try to visit their native places at regular intervals to stay close to their roots.

Question. Is it possible to carry pride in one's language too far? Do you know what 'linguistic chauvinism' means?
Answer: Yes, it is 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 in a democracy like India. When the sense of belonging to one's own language crosses the line between 'pride' and 'being 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 their desire. In fact, it is denigrating to distort the names of communities, like Bongs for Bengalis, Gujjus for Gujratis and so on.

Working with Words 

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

Question. Find out the origins of the following words.
(i) Tycoon
(ii) Tulip
(iii) Logo
(iv) Bandicoot
(v) Barbecue
(vi) Veranda
(vii) Robot
(viii) Zero
(ix) Ski
(x) Trek
Answer:
(i) Tycoon — Japanese (taikun)
(ii) Tulip — French (tulipe)
(iii) Logo — Greek (logos)
(iv) Bandicoot — Telugu (pandikokku)
(v) Barbecue — Spanish (barbacoa)
(vi) Veranda — Portuguese (varanda)
(vii) Robot — Czech (robota)
(viii) Zero — Arabic (sifr)
(ix) Ski — Norwegian (ski)
(x) Trek — Dutch (trekken)

Question. Notice the underlined words in these sentences and tick the option that best explains their meaning.
(i) "What a thunderclap these words were to me!"
The words were
(a) loud and clear.
(b) startling and unexpected.
(c) pleasant and welcome.
(ii) "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
(a) do not lose their language.
(b) are attached to their language.
(c) quickly learn the conqueror's language.
(iii) Don't go so fast, you will get to your school in plenty of time.
You will get to your school
(a) very late
(b) too early
(c) early enough
(iv) I never saw him look so tall.
M Hamel
(a) had grown physically taller
(b) seemed very confident
(c) stood on the chair
Answer:
(i) (b) startling and unexpected
(ii) (b) are attached to their language
(iii) (c) early enough
(iv) (b) seemed very confident