Class XII - Flamingo - The Last Lesson - Notes
Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary
About the author
Alphonse Daudet (1840-1897) was a French novelist and short-story writer. The Last Lesson is set in the days of the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) in which France was defeated by Prussia led by Bismarck. Prussia then consisted of what now are the nations of Germany, Poland and parts of Austria. In this story the French districts of Alsace and Lorraine have passed into Prussian hands.
Read the story to find out what effect this had on life at school.
Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meaning from the context.
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| in great dread of | to be afraid of someone or something |
| counted on | to depend on someone to do what you want or expect them to do for you |
| thumbed at the edges | worn out edges or edges that were handled many times with the thumbs usually books. |
| in unison | simultaneous or synchronous parallel action; done together. |
| a great bustle | excited activity or movement. learn to pronounce bustle |
| reproach ourselves with | the expression of disapproval and disappointment. Learn to pronounce reproach |
SUMMARY OF 'THE LAST LESSON'
"The Last Lesson" by Alphonse Daudet is set during the Franco-Prussian War, focusing on a small French village that falls under Prussian control. The story is narrated by a young boy named Franz, who is reluctant to go to school as he hasn't prepared for a test on French participles. However, when he arrives at school, he is surprised to find an unusual stillness in the classroom. His teacher, Mr. Hamel, is dressed in his best clothes and is very serious.
Franz soon learns that this is the last French lesson he will ever have, as an order has come from Berlin that only German is to be taught in schools of Alsace and Lorraine. Mr. Hamel delivers the last lesson with deep emotion, expressing his love for the French language and his regret that the people of Alsace did not take their education seriously. He emphasizes the importance of the language to the people’s identity and heritage.
The villagers, who have gathered in the classroom to attend this final lesson, share in the somber mood. They, too, realize the value of the French language only when they are about to lose it. The story concludes with Mr. Hamel writing "Vive La France!" on the blackboard, a symbol of defiance and pride in their language and culture.
QUESTION ANSWER OF 'THE LAST LESSON'
Think as you read:
- What was Franz expected to be prepared with for school that day?ANSWER: Franz was expected to be prepared with participles for the school that day. Since he was not serious and had not prepared his lesson he expected a sound scolding from his teacher Mr. M. Hamel.
- What did Franz notice that was unusual about the school that day?
ANSWER: Franz noticed that the school was quite silent as if it was a Sunday morning, besides he saw many people from the village present in the class who usually never attended M. Hamel’s class. - What had been put up on the bulletin-board?
ANSWER: A notice had been put up by the Prussians that then onward only German would be taught in the schools of Lorraine and Alsace. - What changes did the order from Berlin cause in school that day?
ANSWER: That day, the school was unusually quiet. Many elders from the village were present in the class. The teacher, Mr M. Hamel, was dressed his best and was quite sombre. The students were pretty much attentive to M Hamel’s talk and lesson. - How did Franz’s feelings about M. Hamel and school change?
ANSWER: Franz was shocked to learn that that was the last lesson of French language he would be attending due to the prohibitive orders by Prussians. The very thought led him to introspect his behaviour towards his lessons and realization that he wasted all that time in having fun.
Understanding the text
- The people in this story suddenly realise how precious their language is to them. What shows you this? Why does this happen?ANSWER: Many unusual things indicate that people were very serious and sad about not being able to learn their native language thence forth. The crowd surrounding the bulletin-board, the presence of the villagers in the class, the silence in place of the routine hustle and bustle of the school, the emotions that gripped. M. Hamel and Franz, representing that of the teacher and the student community respectively, were all indicators of the realization of the importance of their language to them.In the story, M. Hamel says that people realize the importance of somebody or something in their lives very often when it is lost to them. Similarly, it was the order from Berlin that made people realize the importance of their language for them.
- 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 implies that native language to a people is the language innate to birds and animals. So the decision of occupying forces to enforce the language of the aggressor - in this case German Language, will fail the same way as you cannot make the birds sing in any other language, French people will not leave their language.
Talking about the text
- “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: Points that can be included in your discussion are the dominance of the English language in India, the resistance of non-Hindi states to implement Hindi as an official language in their states, and languages which are vanishing very fast due to globalization and the internet. - 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 KolkataANSWER: Linguistic minorities feel isolated and hardly get any opportunity to use their language beyond home. What these minorities can do is to form groups, arrange for get-togethers and other forum for their community to use their language as much as possible. They should also speak in their native language with their children and help them feel proud of their heritage and culture. - Is it possible to carry pride in one's language too far? Do you know what 'linguistic chauvinism' means?ANSWER: Linguistic chauvinism is inordinate love for one's own language; this love is so much that one considers one's language to be superior to all the other languages of the world. The order from Berlin was an example of linguistic chauvinism. The Germans imposed their language on the people of Alsace and Lorraine.
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
Find out the origins of the following words.
ANSWER:tycoon Japanese tulip Persian > Turkish > French logo Greek bandicoot Telugu barbecue Spanish veranda Portugese robot Czech zero Arabic ski Norwegian trek South African Dutch
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