Alphonse Daudet (13 May 1840 – 16 December 1897) was a French short story writer and novelist.

He is
remembered chiefly as the author of sentimental tales of provincial life in the south of France. All his life he
recorded his observations of other people in little notebooks, which he used as a reservoir of inspiration.
Daudet represents a synthesis of conflicting elements and his actual experience of life, at every social level and
in the course of travels, helped to develop his natural gifts. His major works include ‘Tastain’, ‘Le Petit Chose’,
‘In the land of Pain’ and ‘The Last Lesson’.

Author
Alphonse Daudet
Name
Born 13 May 1840, Nimes, France
Died 16 December 1897, Paris, France
Nationali
French
ty
Let us first analyze the socio-political
background of the chapter
Franco-German War, also
called Franco-Prussian
War, (July 19, 1870–May 10,
1871), war in which a coalition
of German states led by 
Prussia defeated France. The
war marked the end of
French hegemony in
continental Europe and
resulted in the creation of a
unified Germany.
The French emperor, Napoleon III, declared
war on Prussia on July 19, 1870, because his
military advisers told him that the French
army could defeat Prussia and that such a
victory would restore his declining
popularity in France and its threatened
position as the dominant power in Europe.

Bismarck, for his part, saw war with France as

an opportunity to bring the South German states
into unity with the Prussian-led 
North German Confederation and build a strong 
German Empire. 
The battle concluded with Germany annexing 
Alsace and half of Lorraine.
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.
Dominant themes of
The Last Lesson
 Patriotism and Resistance
In telling the story of the last lesson that M. Hamel, a school
teacher in the French region of Alsace-Lorraine, gives to 
Franz and his fellow pupils shortly after Prussian invasion
of the region, Daudet explores the multi-faceted nature of
patriotism and resistance. Through the character of M.
Hamel, the reader is presented with a figure of resistance
who fights his subjugation not by deploying arms, but by
deploying patriotic pride. In this way, the story suggests the
importance of affirming one’s national identity in the face of
foreign oppression.

The “Last Lesson” that M. Hamel gives to his students, therefore, is not just a lesson in
language and writing—it is a lesson in patriotism and resistance. Although his land is
occupied by Prussian adversaries who have the advantage of superior military strength,
M. Hamel defies his oppressors using only a French grammar book, a blackboard, and
his own voice. In doing so, he teaches his pupils that even without arms, they have the
power to challenge their subjugation.
What message did the writer convey in “The Last Lesson”?

Ans. The author Alphonse Daudet wants to emphasize to his

readers that they should always be loyal and proud of their
country and mother tongue. He wants the readers to be
aware of the great importance of learning their own language
and never forgetting it no matter what the circumstances. In
this chapter, the Prussians order the French to speak and
study only German and prohibit the learning of French.
Hence, the writer wants to convey that only if people ‘hold
fast’ to their language, they will be able to enjoy free and
respectable lives.
21 February was declared to be the International
Mother Language Day by UNESCO in 1999. It has
been observed throughout the world since 21
February 2000. The declaration came up in tribute to
the Language Movement done by the Bangladeshis
 (then the East Pakistanis).

When Pakistan was created in 1947, it had two

geographically separate parts: East Pakistan
 (currently known as Bangladesh) and West Pakistan
 (currently known as Pakistan). The two parts were
very different from each other in the sense of culture
and language. The two parts were also separated by
India in between.
 EXPLORATORY TASK:
FIND OUT ANOTHER EXAMPLE WHERE
LANUAGE CHAUVINISM CAN BE
TRACED IN THE CULTURAL HISTORY OF
A COUNTRY.
In 1948, the Government of Pakistan
declared Urdu to be the sole national
language of Pakistan, even though 
Bengali or Bangla was spoken by the
majority of people The East Pakistan
people demanded Bangla to be at
least one of the national languages, in
addition to Urdu.
. On 21 February 1952, police opened
fire on rallies.This was a rare incident
in history, where people sacrificed their
lives for their mother tongue. On 6
January 1959, the military regime
issued an official statement and
reinstated the official stance of
supporting the 1956 constitution's
policy of two state languages.