FLAMINGO

THE LAST LESSON – L-1

TEXTUAL QUESTIONS:
Q1. What was Franz expected to be prepared with for school that day?
That day of the last lesson Franz was expected to be prepared with the rules governing the
use of participles because his teacher M. Hamel was going to question them on these in school.
But Franz did not learn his work and he knew nothing about participles and thus feared that his
teacher would scold him.

Q2. What did Franz notice that was unusual about the school that day?
Usually, when school began, there was a great bustle, which could be heard out in the
street. But it was all very still on that day. Everything was as quiet as on a Sunday morning. The
usual commotion was missing. The din of opening and closing of desks, lessons being repeated
in unison, his teacher’s ruler rapping on the table could usually be heard out in the street. But
on that day it was all very different. His classmates were already in their places. M. Hamel’s
ruler was under his arm and he was dressed in his Sunday best. The back benches were
occupied by villagers who looked solemn.

Q3. What had been put on the notice board?

For the last two years all the bad news had come from the bulletin-board. Usually the
bulletin-board had news of lost battles, the draft and the orders of the commanding officer. But
the latest information on the board was the order from Berlin banning the teaching of French in
the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. German was to replace French and this order issued by the
Germans was an outcome of the defeat of France at the hands of Prussia.

Q4. What changes did the order from Berlin cause in school that day?
The order from Berlin brought about a sea-change in the attitude of the Alsacians towards
their language and country. The whole school seemed strange and solemn. M Hamel was
dressed in his Sunday best- clothes he wore only on special occasions, he had a gentle tone
that day and the class was unusually quiet. Villagers, who till that day, had been more
concerned about earning their livelihood occupied the back benches of the class and showed
exemplary interest in learning the language. There was a feeling of gloom, guilt and
repentance on their faces. They had suddenly realized the importance of the class and also a
feeling of patriotism arose and they seemed thankful to the master for his forty years of
dedicated service.

ADDITIONAL SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS:

Q5. What was Franz’ fear as he went to school on the day of the last lesson?
Franz had started very late for school the morning of the last lesson and was in dread of a
scolding by his teacher M. Hamel as he had not prepared his lesson regarding the rules for
participles for which the teacher was going to question them.

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Q6. What thoughts was Franz thinking as he walked to school that day of the last lesson?
As Franz was unprepared with his lesson on participles, which the teacher was going to test
on that day, he nurtured a keen desire to escape school and spend the day outdoors. The sight
of the chirping birds at the edge of the woods on a warm, sunny day and the Prussian soldiers
drilling in the open field at the back of the saw mill was more tempting to him than the rule for
participles. However, he had the strength to resist and continued to school.

Q7. What did Franz observe as he passed the Town Hall? Why did the sight trouble him?
Franz saw a huge crowd gathered in front of the Bulletin-board as he passed the town
hall. All the bad news about lost battles, the draft and the orders of the commanding officers
had come from there for the past two years. This sight troubled him thus and he thought to
himself as to ‘ what could be the matter now’?

Q8. What did the blacksmith remark? What did it imply?

The blacksmith, Wachter, saw Franz hurrying to school he told him not to go so fast as
there was plenty of time to reach school.
He made this remark in response to the order from Berlin that he had read on the bulletin-
board which barred the teaching of French, henceforth , in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine.
Franz was already late and thought this remark was said in order to make fun of him.

Q9. How was the teacher dressed that day and why did it surprise Franz?
The teacher M. Hamel was dressed in his beautiful green coat, his frilled shirt and his
embroidered silk hat, on that day in honour of the last lesson. Franz was surprised, as he had
only seen the teacher dressed like this on inspection days or on prize days of the school.

Q10. What was the ‘thunderclap’ the narrator received as M. Hamel began the lesson?
When the teacher M. Hamel mounted his chair and announced that this was going to be
his last lesson in French as orders had come from Berlin to teach only German in the schools of
Alsace and Lorraine from then on, these words seemed like a thunderclap to Franz . Regret and
sudden realization that he would now be deprived of learning the lessons he had always evaded
made him want to learn his language.

Q11. Why had the villagers occupied the back benches of the class on the day of the last
lesson?
The villagers occupied the back benches of the class as a mark of respect for their teacher
and their mother tongue. It was their way to atone for their guilt for not having attended school
more regularly and giving due honour and respect to their country. Also, they wanted to thank
their master for his forty years of meritorious service and this was an opportunity to show their
love for their country.

Q!2. What did Franz wish to be able to do when he was asked to narrate the rules for
participles? How did he recite?
Franz had come late and unprepared with his lessons to school. When he was asked to
recite the rule for participles he was unable to do so. He then repented his carelessness and felt

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that he could give anything for being able to recite his lessons- to be able to say the dreadful
rule for participle all through, very loud and clear, and without one mistake. On the contrary he
got mixed up at the very first instance and messed it all up and stood there, holding onto his
desk, his heart beating, not being able to look up and feeling guilty.

Q13. Why did M. Hamel not scold Franz for not having learned his lesson?
M. Hamel wanted Franz to realize his mistake of always putting off his lessons for
tomorrow. He also stated that all Alsacians had been doing this and now they were in trouble.
They could no longer learn their own language. Though they were French, yet they could
neither speak nor write their language. The teacher went on to say that they all had a great deal
to reproach themselves for.

Q14. Explain ‘we’ve all a great deal to reproach ourselves for’.

M. Hamel says these words in his last lesson to all the children and the villagers present
in the classroom. He voices his repentance for not being able to inculcate speaking and writing
skills in the children. He blames not only the children for having put off learning for tomorrow
but also the adults and himself for this.
Parents, he says were not anxious enough to have their children learn as they preferred to put
them to work on a farm or at the mills, so as to have a little more money.
He blames himself for having often sent them to water his flowers instead of them learning
their lessons and also when he wanted to go fishing, he gave them a holiday.

Q15. How was M. Hamel different on the day of the last lesson?
M. Hamel had been a hard taskmaster and a strict teacher, rapping an iron ruler on the
desk when required. He was generally cross and cranky. But on the day of his last lesson he was
calm and composed rather than being rude and impolite. He was gentle and did not shout or
use his iron ruler. He delivered his last lesson with utmost patience.

Q16. Why did M. Hamel feel the people of Alsace needed to ‘hold on to their language’?
M. Hamel urged the people of Alsace to realize that French was the most beautiful
language in the world- the clearest and the most logical and went on to say that they must
guard it amongst them and never forget it as though it were a key to their enslavement and a
symbol of their identity.

Q17. How did the people react when they realized that they would never be able to learn
their language?
The people of Alsace were awakened to the fact that one’s language was the most
precious for one’s identity. The villagers showed rare interest and enthusiasm in learning. Even
the teacher M Hamel was more patient, wanting to give away all he knew at one stroke. There
was perfect silence in the class. Everyone, even the littlest ones were engrossed in the lesson
showing no signs of distraction even when the beetles flew in.

Q18. Franz thinks “will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?” what does this
tell us about the attitude of the Frenchmen?

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 The Frenchmen were highly patriotic and took pride in their language. A strong feeling of
revolt was in the air against the Germans who had won the Franco-Prussian war. It shows that
Franz did not accept their rule and thought that they would not be able to tame the pigeons.
Language is the spirit of the nation and Franz sensed somewhere that Germans cannot enslave
the soul and spirit of a nation, just like the spirit of the pigeons cannot be bound and they
cannot be made to sing in German.

Q19. How did M Hamel prove to be an ideal teacher?

M. Hamel was a French teacher teaching in the school of Alsace. He had served the
school selflessly for forty years. He was a pillar of the school. He always stressed upon the glory
of the French language and the need to keep the language alive.
He taught patiently and meticulously in order to leave an indelible imprint on their minds,
particularly so on the day of his last lesson. He felt tormented at the fact that people had
become indifferent towards learning French. This reflects his determination to teach the
language and his faithfulness towards it. M. Hamel was a patriot in the real sense, as he
regarded the national language as a means to retain one’s identity and uniqueness.
On the outside he looked strict and cranky, but in reality, he was concerned for his pupils.
With a heavy heart he ended the lesson by writing on the board with all his strength the words
– Vive La France! Which means Long Live France.

Q20. How does M. Hamel arouse patriotic feelings in the people of Alsace?
M. Hamel does so by making the people conscious that their language – French was the
most beautiful language in the world – the clearest, the most logical. He asked the people to
guard it amongst them and never forget it, because when people are enslaved, as long as they
hold fast to their language it is as if they have the key to their prison. He asked them to guard
their identity.
He distributed new copies on the day of the last lesson, written in a beautiful round hand-
France, Alsace, France, Alsace. They looked like little flags floating everywhere in the school-
room, hung from the rod at the top of their desks.
Finally he wrote the words ‘Vive La France’ making them realize that only they could fight for
the liberation of their country and restore its identity.

Q21. How did Franz’s feelings about M. Hamel and the school change?
Franz had always been a shirker and had always been reluctant to go to school.He
disliked going to school and learning his lessons was a burden for him. He wanted to have fun
outdoors instead of having to memorise the rule for participles.
He found his teacher M. Hamel to be strict and cranky. However on the day of the last lesson,
his thoughts and feelings towards the school and teacher changed, as he learned that French
would no longer be taught in schools of Alsace and would be replaced by German. He had a
new perspective towards this. The books he once found to be a burden were now precious to
him. Suddenly there was a realization of the value of the class and respect for the language. He
reproached himself for not learning his French lessons and sat through the class as if not to
miss the last lesson. He found he understood all that was taught that day. The thought that M.

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Hamel was leaving the next day and that Franz would never see him again made the boy forget
all about his ruler and about how cranky he was.

LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS

Q1. The people in the story suddenly realize how precious their language is to them. What
shows you this? Why does this happen?
On the day of the last lesson M Hamel announced to the class that henceforth only
German would be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. The realization that their
language was precious to them was seen in the way all the villagers had assembled in the
school to attend the last lesson and from their ardent desire to learn everything in one go.
The students attending the class sat with seriousness through the writing and history classes,
as if paying a tribute to their master for his forty years of dedicated service. It was also their
way of showing their patriotism.
Franz shows regret at having ignored his lessons and at not learning his mother tongue and
finding his books to be a burden. The order is like a thunderclap to him and surged in him and
everyone present a respect for their country and their language. Suddenly they all realized that
they could neither speak nor write their language and they reproached themselves for putting
off learning till tomorrow.
But the most powerful evidence is M. Hamel’s emotionally charged last lesson, which he
teaches with utmost zeal as though trying to impart whatever knowledge he can all on that day.

Q2. Franz thinks “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?” what could this
mean?
France had been overpowered by Prussia and, as a consequence, an order had come from
Berlin that only German would be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. The whole
village was upset at the loss of freedom to use their language, which was as natural to them as
cooing was to pigeons. Prussians had acquired the districts of Alsace and Lorraine in the war
and they wanted to rule over the minds and souls of the people depriving them of their true
identity.
During his last lesson in French Franz heard the pigeons cooing, he wondered if the
Prussians would make them sing in German too . His thought is critical of man’s domination of
man. Franz sensed somewhere that Germans cannot enslave the soul and spirit of a nation,
just like the spirit of the pigeons cannot be bound and they cannot be made to sing in German.
If a nation’s sense of freedom and the people’s pride in their language is strong, they have the
key to their prison. That nation never dies whose people are free at heart.

Q3. “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 a conquered people
had their language taken away from them or had a language imposed on them?
Political enslavement is a curse for any nation as it deprives it of its identity. The ruling
Government dictates and compels them to abide by these rules whether justified or unjustified.
They try to subdue and control the people of the enslaved territory by enforcing many
measures such as use o force to crush dissent and imposing their own language on them.

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The enslaved natives become victims of a restrained and confined life with no hope of
breathing freely in their own motherland.
At such times of enslavement , it is their mother tongue which keeps their identity alive. And
unites them against the foreigners . it is also the key of their prison as it holds them together. It
urges them to fight for the liberation of their motherland.
Examples- the Romans conquered many parts of Europe and replaced the local languages by
their own language – Latin
The Muslim invaders imposed Arabic and Persian in the countries of Asia overpowered by
them.
In India Urdu developed from the mixture of Persian and Hindi

Q4. The story “The Last Lesson” is all about ‘linguistic chauvinism’. Comment.
Man was born free, but he is bound everywhere in chains of communism, regionalism,
religion, nationalities and even linguistic confinements. ’Linguistic Chauvinism’ means an
aggressive an unreasonable belief that your own language is better than all others. This shows
an excessive or prejudiced support for one’s own language.
The story “The Last Lesson” is all about linguistic chauvinism. Acquisition of power over the
Alsacians made the Prussians so domineering that they imposed even their language on them.
Their rulers wanted to dominate even their minds and hearts and wanted them to even think in
their language, thereby causing the loss of their identity. The story thus highlights linguistic
chauvinism which is becoming a major cause of wars and political disturbance in the world.

Q5. Justify the title of the story “The Last Lesson”

The story has an appropriate and suggestive title. It is the centre of attention throughout
and the whole story revolves around it. The beginning of the story serves as preparation for it.
The unusual quietness at school, presence of village elders and the teacher in his Sunday best
all point out to the unusual and unique occasion – the last lesson in French in Alsace, a French
district taken over by the Prussians in the Franco-Prussian war.
For the narrator it is an unforgettable experience. “Ah, how well I remember it, that last
lesson,” says he. He always looked for opportunities to escape school an was never serious
about learning his lessons. Quite unexpectedly they receive orders from Berlin, after defeat in
the war, that French will no longer be taught in the school of Alsace and Lorraine.
It is then they realize that what they had been evading all this while, will now be deprived to
them. They awaken to the course of safeguarding their language and reach to attend the last
lesson taught by M. Hamel, the French teacher. Old Hauser is crying and his voice trembles with
emotion. While delivering his last lesson, the teacher wants to transmit all his knowledge in
one stroke. He explains everything with patience and the students and villagers listen
attentively.
As the teacher is unable to express his emotions because of choked throat, he ends the lesson
by writing ‘Vive La France’ on the blackboard. He makes a gesture with his hand to indicate that
the school is dismissed and students can go home.
The story is thus aptly titled and it evokes a consciousness in the reader that he must learn
his lessons in time. One can never apprehend which day of life, he may be learning his last
lesson.

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Q5. Write a note on the character of M. Hamel as a teacher.
M. Hamel , the French teacher emerges as an epitome of an ideal teacher in the story
“The Last Lesson”. He is an ruler-wielding stereotype experienced teacher who has been
teaching French in the village school of Alsace for forty years. He imparts primary education in
all subjects. He is a hard task master and students like Franz, who are not good learners, are in
great dread of being scolded by him. He is insensitive to the feelings of his students and takes
pride in his empathetic tone.
M. Hamel , emerges as a true facilitator, a guide and a philosopher for his pupils when he
teaches his last lesson. His domineering tone becomes gentle and polite when Alsace passes
into the German hands following defeat in the Franco-Prussian war. This upsets him as he has
to leave the place forever and he is heartbroken. However he exercises self-control and hears
every lesson to the last. He tries to make Franz and the villagers realize why learning should not
be postponed for a later date.
He is seen as a true patriot for he loves his country and the language native to it. He calls upon
the people to shake off their procrastination and safeguard their language as it was the key to
their prison.
His performance during the last lesson is exemplary. He is kind to Franz who comes in very late
to class.We see him as a man of deep emotions when he proudly writes “Vive La France’ on the
blackboard at the end of the lesson.

Q6. Do you think the story touches upon the brutalities of war? Comment.
Prussia had overcome France and, in the wake of it, an order had been issued from
Germany that only German would be taught in schools in Alsace and Lorraine. Such dominance
and suppression are the strategies of the victors to kill the soul and spirit of the nation they
now control.
A nation has great pride in its language and it is one’s key to any prison. There was now fear in
every heart in Alsace that the nation might die. The whole village was upset and in grief at the
loss of freedom to use their language even in their own land. This is one tragedy of war
highlighted in ‘The Last lesson’ that the conquered people have their language, which is their
identity, taken away from them.

HOTS
Q1. ‘My children, this is the last lesson I shall give you’. What was the impact of M. Hamel’s
words on the assembled class and why?
The class is taken by surprise on hearing this announcement by M. Hamel. Though Alsace and
Lorraine had been taken over by the Prussians, the people had not experienced a loss of
identity and life had continued as normal, till the morning that heralded the crucial decree from
Germany directing that henceforth, only German had to be taught and used. This was what had
brought all the village elders to the school that day.
The finality of the decree sunk in with M. Hamel’s announcement and the assembled class was
filled with remorse at the indifference that they had exhibited towards not only attending
school when they had the chance, but also keeping their children away on what now appeared
to be frivolous pretexts.

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Franz, the young protagonist of the story is filled with a sudden sense of loss at the thought
that he no longer had the chance to perfect his French, and that he would never see his teacher
again. He is sorry for all the wasted time, all the distractions that kept him away from school,
and from learning his language. Time had suddenly run out for the assembled class.

Q2. ‘It seemed almost as if the poor man wanted to give us all he knew before going away,
and to put it all into our heads in one stroke’. Explain why Franz experienced these feelings?
The provinces of Alsace and Lorraine had been taken over by the Prussians and a directive from
Berlin announced that henceforth German would be the official language and French would no
longer be taught in schools.
This announcement came as a shock for the people and made the village elders attend what
would be the last French class for all of them. This announcement from M. Hamel, the teacher
for the last forty years, seemed to put the seal of finality making the reality of it sink in.
M. Hamel expressed his remorse for all the missed classes. He reproached the elders for not
attending school and for keeping their children away from their classes to work on their farms
On this particular day, M. Hamel seemed to be intent on making the class a memorable one,
especially as he stressed the importance of guarding the French language and keeping it alive.
The patience and the meticulousness with which he conducted the last lesson seemed to
suggest to Franz that their teacher was determined to leave an indelible imprint on their minds
and in the last lesson, make up for all the lost time.

Q3. At the end of the last lesson M. Hamel wrote, Vive La France on the board in bold
letters. Why do you think he wrote that and how did he expect the people of Alsace and
Lorraine to keep their identity intact?
The clock striking twelve, corresponding with the sound of the trumpets of the Prussians
returning from their drill heralded the end of M. Hamel’s last French lesson. It was also a grim
reminder of the state of enslavement of the people of Alsace and Lorraine, and the fact that
they would have to succumb to the will of their captors. M. Hamel was overcome with emotion
and he wrote on the blackboard in large letters, Vive La France!
He had already told the people about the importance of keeping the French language alive, as it
was the key to their prison. Enslavement implies a sense of feeling small and diminished, along
with a loss of identity. The only way to overcome these feelings was to retain one’s pride in
one’s language, keep it close to one’s heart, so that it may in turn provide the much needed
sense of identity and bonding with fellow Frenchmen.