NOTES- THE LAST LESSON

                                                                  THE LAST LESSON- NOTES

A.Q1. What was Franz expected to be prepared with for school that day?
Ans:  That day Franz was expected to be prepared with participles because M. Hamel had said that he would question them on participles. Franz did not know anything about participles.

Q2. What did Franz notice that was unusual about the school that day?
Ans: That day everything was as quiet as Sunday morning. There was no opening or closing of desks. His classmates were already in their places. The teacher’s great ruler instead of rapping on the table, was under M. Hamel’s arm.

Q3. What had been put up on the bulletin-board?
Ans: For the last two years all the bad news had come from the bulletin-board. An order had come from Berlin to teach only German in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. The Germans had put up this notice on the bulletin-board.

B.Q1. What changes did the order from Berlin cause in school that day?
Ans: M. Hamel had put on his best dress—his beautiful green coat, his frilled shirt and the little black silk cap, all embroidered. On the back benches that were always empty, the elderly village people were sitting quietly like the kids.

Q2. How did Franz’s feelings about M. Hamel and school change?
Ans: Franz came to know that it was the last lesson in French that M. Hamel would give them. From the next day they will be taught only German. He felt sorry for not learning his lessons properly. His books, which seemed a nuisance and a burden earlier were now old friends. His feelings about M. Hamel also changed.

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

Q1. The people in this story suddenly realise how  precious their language is to them. What shows you this? Why does this happen?
Ans: M. Hamel told the students and villagers that henceforth only German would be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. Those who called themselves Frenchmen would neither be able to speak nor write it. He praised French as the most beautiful, the clearest and most logical language in the world. He said that for the enslaved people, their language was the key to their prison. Then the people realised how precious their language was to them. This shows people’s love for their own culture, traditions and country.

Q2. Franz thinks, “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons’ What could this mean?(There could be more than one answer.)
Ans: This comment of Franz shows a Frenchman’s typical reaction to the imposition of learning German, the language of the conquerors. Being deprived of the learning of mother tongue would mean cutting off all bonds with the motherland. Teaching the pigeons to sing in German indicates how far the Germans would go in their attempts of linguistic chauvinism.

Q3. Draw the character sketch of M.hamel?

Ans: M.Hamel had been a devoted French teacher for 40 years. He was a strict disciplinarian and his students were terrified of him and his 'great ruler'. However, he was a respectable man. On the last day of school, many villagers, who had been taught by him at some point of time, had come to attend his lecture and pay homage to him. He gives great importance to learning. French and considered it to be the most beautiful language of the world. However, he was melancholy and depressed that French had been banned from being taught, after France was overtaken by Prussia. His sorrow was evident in the gloomy way he sat in the class while his students were completing their writing assignment. He became nostalgic looking at the classroom and the adjoining garden. Before leaving the class, he broke down and so, could not speak any parting words.

Q4. Draw the character sketch of franz?

Ans: Franz was a student in one of the schools in the districts of Alsace. The boy loved outside environment and wanted to enjoy it. In the school too, he often loved to work in the garden. He became fond of shirking from work and used to put off his learning as well as home task. But he was much scared of his teacher M. Hamel.

In addition to this, the boy had an acute sense of understanding, feeling, recognition and respect. Entering the school, he sensed unusualness and calmness there. He was much surprised at this and was rather troubled to know that his teacher was leaving them because of an order from Berlin that had banned the teaching of French. During the writing period, he noticed sad expressions over the face of M. Hamel. When the teacher taught a lesson in grammar, it left an indelible impression on the boy. He felt that the teacher was going to pour everything in their minds. Then the teacher wrote on the blackboard ‘Long Live France’. The boy was deeply moved and he recognised his teacher for his worth.