The Last Lesson
The Last Lesson By-Alphonse Daudet ___________________________________________________________ INTRODUCTION A. Daudet's short story "The Last Lesson' is set in the days of the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871). Germany (Prussia occupied two French districts of Alsace and Lorraine. By order from Berlin, the German language was imposed on the French-speaking people of Alsace and Lorraine. The story highlights the dismay and distress of M. Hamel, his students and the villagers caused by that order from Berlin. 1. Late for School. The narrator (Franz) started school very late that morning. He feared M. Hamel. He would question the students on participles. The narrator didn't know even the first word about them. He feared a scolding, He thought of running away and spending the day out of doors. The weather was very warm and bright. But he decided otherwise and hurried off to school. 2. Crowd in Front of the Bulletin-board. As Franz passed the town