The Last Lesson

BY ALPHONSE DAUDET
Alphonse Daudet
(1840- 1897)
French Novelist and Story Writer
Background
Set up in the days of Franco-Prussian
War (1870-1871).
France was Defeated by Prussia.

Prussia was then led by Otto Von

Bismark (1815–1898), Prussian
statesman and first Chancellor of
Germany.
Prussia was then consisted of what now
the nations of Germany, Poland and
Parts of Austria.
The story covers the times when French
districts of Alsace and Lorraine were taken
over by Prussia.

 The language German was imposed on

French people.

People were deeply shattered.

They realized what they lost.

Linguistic Chauvinism
-Taking Pride in one’s
language
 Scene 1

 Little Franz is Late for School.

 He was Supposed to prepare with Participles.
 He was afraid of his strict teacher M. Hamel.
 M. Hamel would question him on Participles.
 Tempted to skip the school.
Prussian Soldiers were drilling.
Day was warm and bright
Open Field.
Sawmill.
 Resisted Temptations and hurried of to School.
Town Hall Scene

 Large Bulletin Board.

 Crowd gathered around the bulletin board.
 Bulletin board supplied all bad news from the
Last two years:-
-Lost Battles
-the Drafts
-the orders of Commanding Officer
 Franz thought What could be the Matter
now????
 Blacksmith– Watcher working with his Apprentice
(Helper)– calls on--
“Don’t go so fast bub; you’ll get to your school in plenty of
time!”
School Scene
Silence like Sunday Mornings
no usual commotion
no rapping of teacher’s ruler on the table
no regular bustle
no opening and closing of desks…
M.Hamel’s Changed Behaviour

F ra n z e x p e c t e d h e w o u l d g e t i n s i d e t h e c l a s s
amidst commotion.
C h i l d r e n a l r e a d y a t t h e i r p l a c e s .
M . H a m e l r o a m i n g w i t h h i s t e r r i b l e r u l e r.
F ra n z a s k e d f o r p e r m i s s i o n
C o n t ra d i c t o r y t o h i s e x p e c t a t i o n h e w a s n’t
being Scold for getting late.

M . H a m e l s a i d K i n d l y – “ G O t o yo u r p l a c e l i t t l e
F r a n z , w e w e r e b e g i n n i n g w i t h o u t yo u ”
M. Hamel Dressed
differently…

BEAUTIFUL GREEN COAT

FRILLED SHIRT
LITTLE BLACK SILK CAP
ALL EMBROIDERED
 Students in the class
B a c k b e n c h e s w h i c h g e n e r a l l y r e m a i n e d
e m p t y, w e r e o c c u p i e d b y p e o p l e
T h e r e w e r e v i l l a g e p e o p l e s i t t i n g o n t h e l a s t
benches.
P e o p l e w e r e s i t t i n g q u i e t l y l i k e s t u d e n t s
O L D H AU S E R - i n h i s t h r e e c o r n e r e d H a t .
T H E F O R M E R M AYO R
T H E F O R M E R P O S T M A S T E R a n d m a n y o t h e r
T h e y a l l l o o k e d S a d
T h e y h a d b r o u g h t t h e i r o l d
PRIMERS(Primary books)
 M. Hamel’s Announcement

 In his grave and gentle tone, he announced;

“My children, this is the last lesson I shall give

you. The order has come from Berlin to teach
only German in the school’s of Alsace and
Lorrain. The new master comes tomorrow.
This is your last French Class. I want you to
be very attentive”
 His words were THUNDERCLAP to Franz
 Franz Regretted for not Learning

“My books that had seemed such a nuisance a

while ago, so heavy to carry, my Grammar
and my History of the saints, were old
Friends now that I couldn’t give up”

“M. Hamel too, the idea that he was going

away, that should never see him again, made
me forget all about his ruler and how cranky
he was”
Love for their Lost Nation

“ It was in the honour of his Last Lesson that

he had put on his Sunday Clothes”

“The old people from village had gathered, as

they were sorry that they had neglected
school and to pay respect to the old master
for his forty years of faithful service, showing
respect to their country that was theirs no
more”
M. Hamel Questions Franz on
Participles…
 Franz thought that he
would speak
confidently
 Franz got mixed up
on the very first
word.
 He was sorry for not
being able to speak
and could not face M.
Hamel.
People of Alsace
who kept learning
for tomorrow.
Parents preferred
to put their
children on fields.
Blames Himself for
not taking his
classes seriously.
Sending students
to water his plants
and giving holidays
when he wished to
go for fishing. M. Hamel blames for the
neglect of learning…
 M. Hamel Praises French
Language

 Fr e n c h i s t h e m o s t b e a u t i f u l l a n g u a g e i n
the wor ld.
T h e c l e a r e s t a n d t h e m o s t l o g i c a l l a n g u a g e .
W e m u s t g u a r d i t a m o n g u s a n d n e ve r f o r g e t
it.

“ Wh e n a p e op l e are e n s l aved, as l on g as
h e h ol d fas t h is l an g uag e , it is as if t h ey
h a d k e y t o t h e ir p ris on ”
 Franz filled with admiration for M. Hamel

M. Hamel taught with M. Hamel wanted to teach

Patience everything in one class

“I had never listened “ it seemed almost as

so carefully, and if the poor man
that he had never wanted to give us all
explained he knew before
everything with so going away, and to
much patience.” put it all into our
heads at one
stroke”
 M. Hamel brought new copies for all

 To give it all a new start.

 On copies one had to practice handwriting.
 It was written in beautiful round hand—

France, Alsace, France, Alsace….

 ‘It looked like little Flags floating every where in the school
room, hung from the rod at the top of our desks’
 Everyone set to work, every thing was quiet, only sound
heard was the scratching of pen over the paper.
Will they make them sing in
German even the pigeons

 S a t i r i c a l re m a rk u p o n G e r m a n s -
Franz mocks germans can they force
animals and birds too to speak in
German???
 Self Pity
Franz was pitying the state and the
condition of French people, where they
being humans were forced to change their
language and birds were still free to
converse in their language
 Human Predicament

Man has tur ned inhuman, where he

w a n t s t o c o n t r o l , r u l e a n d t a ke ove r
o t h e r.

Birds and animals are better who still

l e t e a c h o t h e r l i ve f r e e i n t h e i r
peripheries.
M. Hamel feels Sorry for the
loss of his country
• Felt so rry fo r t he lo st freedo m a nd
his co u nt ry
• Felt so rry fo r he ha d t o lea v e
• W a nt ed t o fix ev eryt hing in a g a z e.
• He ha d serv ed t he scho o l fo r pa st
4 0 yea rs.
• he ha d Pla nt ed t rees a nd pla nt s in
t he g a rden
 M. Hamel ready to leave

• M. Hamel’s Sister moving in the room above

the classroom, packing trunks for they must
leave the country the next day.
• M. Hamel stood up very Pale

“I never saw him look so tall”

 M. Hamel could not face the people and his
students , something choked him from
speaking, so he turns to the board and writes as
large as could…

VIVA LA FRANCE
LONG LIVE FRANCE
 Things to Ponder Upon
Mother Tongue, Language and Linguistic
Chauvinism?

Why First Person Narrative technique is used ?

Why Franz, a little boy as Narrator and Why not

M. Hamel?

Linguistic Chauvinism the Major theme or

Patriotism

Who is the main Protagonist?