The Last Lesson - Flamingo
About the author
Alphonse Daudet (13 May 1840, Nimes, France - 16 December 1897, Paris, France) was a French novelist, short-story writer, playwright and poet. He also worked as a school teacher at Ales, Gard, in Southern France for a brief period of time. Charles de Morny, Napolean III's minister, appointed him as one of his secretaries, a post he held till Morny's death. He enlisted in the army during the Franco-Prussian war. A book of poems, Les Amoureuses (The Lovers) was Daudet's first published work. "Letters from My Windmill", a collection of short stories, was well received by the readers and was praised for the picture it paints of the local culture. He is known for portraying human emotions in a very realistic manner. Many of his works were inspired by instances in his own life. He is regarded as one of the most iconic names of French literature and many colleges and schools in France bear his name. His novel "Fromont the Younger and Risler the Elder" won an award from the Academie Francaise.
Some of his works include: "Little Good-For-Nothing", an autobiographical memoir; "The Monday Tales", a collection of short stories and the novel "Tartarin of Tarascon".
Word-meaning
- in great dread of: in extreme worry or fear
- in unison: speaking together, or at the same time
- counted on: dependent on
- a great bustle: a lot of activity and noise
- thumbed at the edges: having a slightly damaged appearance at the edges by frequent handling or turning of pages
- reproach ourselves with: to blame or accuse ourselves, to express disappointment in our actions
- Dread: to feel extremely worried or frightened
- Sawmill: a place where wood is cut into boards or other forms with machines
- Drilling: training in military exercises
- Tempting: appealing or attracting
- Resist: remain unaffected by, to stop yourself from doing something that you want to do
- Town hall: a building in which local government officials and employees work and have meetings
- Bulletin board: a surface intended for the posting of public messages
- Blacksmith: a person who makes and repairs things in iron by hand
- Apprentice: someone who works for an expert to learn a particular skill or job, trainee
- Bub: an informal way of addressing a boy or man; buddy; brother
- Bustle: exciting activity and movement, busy and noisy scene
- Unison: acting or speaking together, or at the same time
- Rapping: striking or hitting
- Commotion: a sudden, short period of noise, confusion, or exciting movement
- Blushed: to become pink in the face, usually from embarrassment
- Fright: a sudden intense feeling of fear
- Frilled: having decorative ruffles or frills to make it more attractive
- Solemn: very serious or formal
- Mayor: chairperson of the municipal council
- Postmaster: a person who is in charge of a post office
- Primer: a small book containing basic facts about a subject, used especially when you are beginning to learn about that subject
- Thumbed: slightly damaged appearance by frequent handling or turning of pages
- Mounted: to go up or onto
- Grave: serious and sad
- Thunderclap: used in similes to refer to something startling or unexpected.
- Wretches: here it refers to an unfortunate happening
- Saar: a river in northeastern France and western Germany
- Nuisance: a thing causing inconvenience or annoyance
- Cranky: bad-tempered, easily annoyed and angry
- Sunday clothes: a person's best or newest clothing, as saved for Sundays and special occasions
- Recite: to say a piece of writing aloud from memory
- Dreadful: causing fear, shock, or suffering
- Bah: an expression of disagreement or disregard
- Reproach: expressing disappointment in actions that one has done, to blame
- Anxious: feeling or showing worry, concerned
- Mill: a factory where a particular substance is produced
- Enslaved: to lose freedom of choice or action
- Hold fast: continue to believe in or adhere to
- Cooed: make a soft low sound
- Gazing: looking at something for a long time, especially in surprise or admiration
- Worn: damaged as a result of much use
- Hopvine: the stock or stem of the hop (a climbing plant)
- Twined: Achieve vertical growth by revolving the stems around a support
- Trunk: a large, strong container that is used for storing clothes and personal possessions
- Trembled: shake involuntarily, typically as a result of anxiety, fear or anger
- Angelus: prayers are said in the morning, in the middle of the day and in the evening in the Roman Catholic Church, the start is marked by the ringing of bells
- Trumpets: a brass musical instrument
- Drill: military training exercises
- Pale: having less colour than usual
- Choked: unable to speak or almost crying because of sadness or strong emotion
- Might: strength, power
- Vive La France: Long Live France
- Gesture: a movement of part of the body, especially a hand or the head, to express an idea or meaning
Introduction
The Last Lesson is set in the days of the Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War. It was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. The war, lasting from 19 July 1870 to 10 May 1871 resulted in the victory of Germany and the fall of the Second French Empire. The unification of Germany was completed and the German states proclaimed their union as the German Empire under the leadership of Prussian chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Most of Alsace and parts of Lorraine were annexed by Germany and the freedom to learn the French language was taken away from the people of these two districts.
Summary of The Last Lesson
The narrator of the story is a young boy Franz who is on his way to school. He was very late and was afraid of being scolded by his teacher M. Hamel who was to question the class on participles that day and he knew nothing about them. It was a warm and bright day and Franz was tempted to spend the day outdoors but he resisted and hurried off to school.
When he passed the town hall he saw a crowd in front of the bulletin board. All the bad news was displayed on that board for the last two years.
When Franz reached the school, he was very surprised to see everything so still. A terrible silence surrounded the school and everything was as quiet as Sunday morning. He 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 opened the door and went inside the classroom very frightened. Instead of scolding him, M. Hamel asked him very kindly to go to his place.
Franz sat down at his desk and noticed that the teacher was wearing his beautiful green coat, his frilled shirt, and the little black silk cap with embroidery on it. He only wore this attire on special occasions like inspection and prize days. The thing that surprised Franz the most was seeing village people seated on the back benches of the classroom. One of the village men, Hauser had brought with him an old primer.
M. Hamel mounted on his chair and told the class that it was their last French lesson as the order had come from Berlin to teach only German in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine and the new teacher will arrive the next day. This was very surprising for Franz. He realizes that this was the order that had been put up on the bulletin board. He regrets not learning his lessons and wasting the time instead. Now, he didn't want to give up his books which had seemed a burden a while ago, and his feelings about his teacher, of how strange and irritable he was, changed.
He understood that it was in honour of the last lesson that the teacher had put on his Sunday clothes and the village people had gathered there to express their gratitude towards him for his faithful service of forty years and to show respect for their country. When the class started, Franz heard his name being called to recite the rules of participles. He got confused about the first words and stood there embarrassed. M. Hamel said he wouldn't scold him, for he must already feel bad enough. He criticized the people of Alsace for putting off learning till another time.
He further blamed their parents for not being concerned enough about their education and putting them to work to have a little more money. He also blamed himself for the poor performance of the students.
M. Hamel then talked about the French language and called it the most beautiful language in the world and that it must be protected because when people are enslaved, adhering to their language is like having a key to their prison. He then explained a grammar lesson to the class.
Franz was amazed to see how well he understood it. The teacher explained everything with a lot of patience.
The grammar lesson was followed by a writing lesson. All the students worked very seriously. It was very quiet in the classroom and the only sound that could be heard was the scratching of the pens over the paper. Franz heard pigeons cooing on the roof of the classroom and wondered if they will also be made to sing in German.
All this while, M. Hamel sat still in his chair looking intently at everything as if he wanted to fix in his mind just how everything looked in that room.
Franz pondered how difficult it must be for him to leave the country the following day.
After the writing, they had a lesson in history and then the children chanted the alphabet. The old Hauser at the back of the room spelt the letters with them. Towards the end, everybody became very emotional. Then the curch-clock struck twelve followed by Angelus and it was time for class to end. M. Hamel stood up in his chair and started to speak but something choked him. Then he turned to the blackboard and wrote as large as he could "Vive La France!" which means "Long Live France!". Then he leaned his head against the wall and dismissed the class with a gesture.
The theme of the story
"Language is power, life and the instrument of culture, the instrument of domination and liberation" - Angela Carter. The theme of the story is the pain experienced by people when they are deprived of the freedom to study or speak their own language. It also tells about the attitude of students and teachers towards learning and teaching respectively. The story highlights the human tendency to not realise the value of something until it's gone. "The biggest mistake we make in our life is thinking we have time" - Kobe Bryant. The people of Alsace failed to realize the importance of learning their language French until the last lesson arrived.
NCERT Solutions
Answer. Franz was expected to be prepared with participles for school that day as his teacher M. Hamel had said that he would question the class on the topic.
Question 2. What did Franz notice that was unusual about the school that day?
Answer. An unusual silence prevailed in the school that day. Usually, there was a great bustle when school began that could be heard out in the street, the opening and closing of desks, lessons repeated in unison, and the teacher's ruler striking on the table. But that day, it was all so still and quiet as on a Sunday morning.
Question 3. What had been put up on the bulletin board?
Answer. The order that had come from Berlin to teach only German in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine had been put up on the bulletin board.
Think as you read
Question 1. What changes did the order from Berlin cause in school that day?
Answer. The order had come from Berlin to teach only German in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine due to which a terrible silence surrounded the school that day. There was no bustle and everything was as quiet as Sunday morning. The teacher M. Hamel had on his beautiful green coat, his frilled shirt, and the little black silk cap, all embroidered, that he never wore except on inspection and prize days. The village people were sitting quietly on the back benches of the classroom that were always empty.
Question 2. How did Franz's feelings about M. Hamel and school change?
Answer. M. Hamel told the class that this would be their last French lesson as the order had come from Berlin to teach only German in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. Upon hearing this, Franz felt sorry for not learning his lessons and wasting time. His books, which he found annoyance earlier, were old friends now that he couldn't give up. His feelings about M. Hamel also changed, he felt sorry for him and the thought that he would never see him again made him forget all about his strictness and crankiness.
Understanding the text
Question 1. The people in this story suddenly realise how precious their language is to them. What shows you this? Why does this happen?
Answer. In the story, the French districts of Alsace and Lorraine were annexed by Germany and the freedom to learn the French language was taken away from the people of these districts. People were anguished as they lost the right to study or speak their own language. They realized the importance of learning their mother tongue and that the Germans have overpowered them due to their lack of knowing their language. The story highlights the human tendency to put away things for tomorrow. Everyone was filled with regret and shame for not utilising the opportunities they had for learning French. The story also reflects upon how we tend to take things for granted that we've had for long periods of time. It is on the day of the last lesson that people realize how precious their language is to them.
Question 2. Franz thinks, "Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?" What could this mean?
Answer. Franz wonders whether the Germans would make even the pigeons sing in German. This demonstrates that language is just not the means to communicate but also an inseparable part of personal and socio-cultural identity. Franz feels that the mother tongue is what we learn from birth and it can't be taken away.
Talking about the text
Question 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 conquered people had their language taken away from them or had a language imposed on them?
Answer. A language is not just words. It unifies a community and is intrinsic to the expression of culture. It holds the power to build bridges and break barriers and paves the way for one's freedom.
There are numerous examples in history where conquered people had their language taken away from them or had a language imposed on them.
1. Imposition of Urdu in East Pakistan
The Government of the Dominion of Pakistan imposed Urdu on the Bengali-speaking majority of East Pakistan. As part of the Islamization and the Arabization of East Pakistan, the Government declared Urdu to be the sole national language of Pakistan. People protested against the suppression of their mother tongue Bangla and even sacrificed their lives.
2. Imposition of English in India
The English language was imposed on India during the colonization of India by Britain. British rule is said to have been responsible for the spread of Western education in India. English was made the official language of India and was adopted as the official medium of instruction.
3. Imposition of Turkish on Kurds
The Kurds are the largest ethnic minority in Turkey. The Turkish government officially prohibited the Kurdish language in public and private life. Many people who spoke, published, or sang in Kurdish were arrested and imprisoned. It is illegal to use Kurdish as a language of instruction in schools in Turkey.
Question 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
Answer. A linguistic minority is a class of people whose mother tongue is different from that of the majority in the state or part of a state. Minority languages suffer from institutional neglect and linguistic minority often face discrimination. There is a special provision in the constitution for the protection of the linguistic interests of minorities, but it is unfortunate that linguistic minorities have still suffered. States have often restricted the official use of minority languages. Children belonging to a linguistic minority may also suffer as they may not have access to education in the language they speak or understand. One of the crucial reasons for the weakening of national solidarity is discrimination of all kinds are made in the linguistic field.
Mother tongue bears our culture and heritage and is key to our development. Numerous languages in the world face the risk of extinction. When a language dies we lose more than just a medium of conversation, we lose a unique worldview.
A linguistic minority in a state can keep their language alive by speaking,
by writing and by learning their native language. By reading books, and listening to the radio in the minority language. The concentration should be on mother languages in the early education of children. The linguistic minority can also preserve their language and culture by forming a small community and having social gatherings to celebrate the festivals and special events as per their traditions.
Question 3. Is it possible to carry pride in one's language too far?
Do you know what 'linguistic chauvinism' means?
Answer. Yes, it is surely possible to carry pride in one's language too far that one starts believing in the superiority or dominance of one's own language and considers other languages as inferior or unworthy.
'Linguistic chauvinism' means a strong belief that one's own language is superior to all other languages. Linguistic chauvinism has cultural and socio-economic perils and can result in irrevocable damage to the social fabric of society.
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 origins of the following words.
tycoon barbecue zero
tulip veranda ski
logo robot trek
bandicoot
Answer.
- Tycoon - from Japanese taikun 'great lord'
- Barbecue - from Spanish barbacoa, perhaps from Arawak barbacoa's wooden frame on posts. The original sense was a 'wooden framework for sleeping on, or for storing meat or fish to be dried.
- Zero - from French zéro or Italian zero, via Old Spanish from Arabic sifr 'cipher'.
- Tulip - from French tulipe, via Turkish from Persian dulband 'turban', from the shape of the expanded flower.
- Veranda - from Hindi varandā, from Portuguese varanda 'railing, balustrade'.
- Ski - from Norwegian, from Old Norse skíth 'billet, snowshoe'.
- Logo - abbreviation of logotype; from Ancient Greek (lógos) 'word, speech', and (túpos) 'mark, imprint'.
- Robot - from Czech, from robota 'forced labour'.
- Trek - from South African Dutch trek (noun), trekken (verb) 'pull, travel'.
- Bandicoot - from Telugu pandikokku, literally 'pig-rat'.
2. Notice the underlined words in these sentences and tick the option that best explains their meaning.
(a) "What a thunderclap these words were to me!"
The words were
(i) loud and clear.
(ii) startling and unexpected.
(iii) pleasant and welcome.
Answer. (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.
Answer. (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.
Answer. (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.
Answer. (b) seemed very confident.
Noticing form
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.
Answer. Five sentences from the story in the past perfect tense are -
1. For the last two years all our bad news had come from there.
The past perfect verb form has been used as the action has been happening since an earlier time.
2. I had counted on the commotion to get to my desk without being seen.
The action had occurred prior to Franz getting into the class.
3. Hauser had brought an old primer, and thumbed at the edges.
The action had occurred before the incident.
4. It was in honour of this last lesson that he had put on his fine Sunday clothes.
The act of putting on his fine Sunday clothes had been done prior to the incident.
5. The hop vine that he had planted himself twined about the windows to the roof.
The action of planting happened earlier than the events in the story.