THE LAST LESSON - Notes

“The Last Lesson”, beautifully brings out the human tendency to postpone the
learning of things feeling there is plenty of time to do so but they don’t realize
when the doomsday will dawn and bring an end to our hopes and aspirations.

Franz is scared of going to school that day as his French teacher Mr. Hamel had
announced a test on participles which he has not learnt. Although, Franz wants
day out of the school and enjoy beauty of nature- the bright sunshine, the birds
chirping in the woods, but eventually plans to go to school.

On the way, he passes through the Town Hall and sees the huge crowd around
the Notice board. He does not stop as Bulletin board served all bad news, lost
battles, the drafts and orders of the commanding officers. He sees Prussian
soldiers drilling but resists.

On reaching the school, the changes he noticed were:

• Instead of noisy classrooms everything was as quiet as Sunday morning.
• All students were already in the classroom.
• Mr. Hamel, the French teacher did not scold him and told him very kindly
to take his seat
• He was dressed in his Sunday best- beautiful green coat, frilled shirt and
black embroidered cap which he wore on functions and prize ceremonies
only.
• Villagers occupying the last benches- old Hauser, former mayor and
postmaster were also there.
• M. Hamel announced the notice which was served from Berlin as from
tomorrow onwards German would be taught in the schools of Alsace and
Lorraine.
• He realizes that, that is what was put up on the bulletin board. Franz
could not believe that it would be his last lesson of French. He repented
that he does not know his own mother tongue and for not taking his
lessons seriously.
Now he realizes the reason why teacher is dressed in his Sunday best and
villagers sitting at the back to pay tribute to M. Hamel for his 40 yrs of sincere
service and also to express their solidarity with France. M. Hamel realizes that
all three, the children, the parents and he himself are to be blamed for losing
respect and regard for the mother tongue.
Franz is called to recite the lesson and he makes mistakes, but opposite to his
thinking teacher does not scold him rather preaches that one should not waste
time and postpone the things thinking that there is plenty of time. Always keep
the mother tongue close to your heart as it is the key to the prison of slavery.

Atmosphere in class: teacher teaching sincerely and patiently, students and

others studying with utmost sincerity.

Franz wondered sarcastically if Prussians could force pigeons to coo in German.

M. Hamel overcome with emotions could not speak and wrote on the black
board “Long Live France” and dismisses the class.

• Franz is afraid of going to school as he has not learnt participles.

• He wants to enjoy beauty of nature. The bright sunshine, the birds
chirruping in the woods, Prussian soldiers drilling but resisted.
• Bulletin board: all bad news, lost battles, the drafts and orders of the
commanding officers: wondered what it could be now
• The changes he noticed in the school.
– Instead of noisy classrooms everything was as quiet as Sunday morning
– The teacher does not scold him and told him very kindly to go to his
seat
– The teacher dressed in his Sunday best.
– Villagers occupying the last benches- To pay tribute to M. Hamel for
his 40 years of sincere service and also to express their solidarity with
France.
• M. Hamel making the announcement that that would be the last French
lesson; realizes that, that was what was put up on the bulletin board.
• Franz realizes that he does not know his own mother tongue
• Regretted why he had not taken his lessons seriously.
• Also realizes the reason why teacher was dressed in his Sunday best and
villagers sitting at the back.
• M. Hamel realizes that all three, the children, the parents and he himself
are to be blamed for losing respect and regard for the mother tongue.
• Always keep your mother tongue close to your heart as it is the key to the
prison of slavery.
• Atmosphere in class: teacher teaching sincerely and patiently, students
and others studying with utmost sincerity.
 • Franz wonders sarcastically if Prussians could force pigeons to coo in
German.
• M. Hamel overcome with emotions could not speak and wrote on the
black board “Long Live France”.

Important Questions

1. “This is your last French lesson.” How did Franz react to this declaration of
M.Hamel?
Ans. When M.Hamel declared that it was their last French lesson a grim
realisation dawned on Franz that he had so much more yet to learn. He felt sorry
for whiling away his time and skipping his lessons. Now he did not want to part
with his books, which he had earlier considered a nuisance. He was also deeply
pained at the thought that M.Hamel was leaving.

2.“What a thunder clap these words were to me!” Which were the words that
shocked and surprised little Franz?
Ans. When M.Hamel mounted on the chair and announced that he was there to
teach his last French lesson that day, Franz was shocked and surprised. He felt
very guilty for deliberately ignoring to learn his native language and he
suddenly developed a strange fascination for his language and his school.

3. What changes came over little Franz after he heard M.Hamel’s

announcement?
Ans. When M.Hamel announced that this was to be their last French class a
grim realisation dawned on Franz that he could hardly write his language and
now he was being deprived of the opportunity to learn it. He felt very guilty of
neglecting his classes and escaping school. The thought of losing his teacher,
M. Hamel, also pained him.

4. What was tempting Franz to keep away from school that morning’?
Ans. Franz was very late for school ‘that morning’. M. Hamel was to question
the students on participles and Franz knew nothing and feared a scolding. The
bright weather, woods, fields and chirping of birds tempted him to spend the
day outdoors.
5. What was unusual about M. Hamel’s dress and behaviour on the day of his
last French lesson?
Ans. On the day of his last French lesson M. Hamel was unexpectantly kind. He
had put on his beautiful green coat, frilled shirt and an embroidered black silk
cap that he normally wore only on inspection and prize days. In his last lesson
he explains everything with unusual patience as if he wants to teach them
everything he has ever learned in their last French class.

6. Why had the bulletin-board become a centre of attention during the last two
years?
Ans. The bulletin-board had become a centre of attention because for the last
two years all the bad news had come from there. It was the source of all bad
news-the lost battles, the draft and the orders of the commanding officers.

7. What had been put up on the bulletin board?

Ans. A notice had been put up on the bulletin board informing the people about
the order from Berlin which declared that only German was to be taught in the
schools of Alsace and Lorraine. They had also been informed that the new
German teacher was coming on the following day.

8. Who did M.Hamel blame for the neglect of learning on the part of boys like
Franz?
Ans. Mr. Hamel blamed various people for different reasons for neglect of
learning on the part of boys like Franz. First, he blamed the parents for not
being anxious to have their children learn and rather engaging them into
household work. He blamed the boys themselves for preferring to work on mills
and farms. He also blamed himself for sending boys on errands for his
convenience.

9.Franz thinks, “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?” What
does this tell us about the attitude of the Frenchmen?
Ans. During his last French class Franz hears the pigeons cooing and wonders if
the Prussians would make them sing in German too. His thought reveals the
Frenchmen’s fear of complete domination by the Germans whereby they would
try to enslave even their minds.
10. Why did M. Hamel not scold Franz when the latter fumbled with the rule for
the participle?
Ans. Since it was M. Hamel’s last class in Alsace, he did not scold Franz when
the latter fumbled with the rule for the participle. He told Franz that he would
not scold him as he knew that Franz was already feeling terrible enough and
reproaching himself a great deal.

11. “But the thing that surprised me most was to see.” What surprised Franz
most in the class?
Ans. The thing that surprised Franz the most when he entered the classroom was
to see the village people sitting as quietly as the students on the back benches of
the class that were always empty. This included old Hauser, the former mayor,
the former postmaster and several others.

12. What words did M. Hamel write on the black-board before dismissing the
last class? What did they mean?
Ans. Before dismissing the last French class, M. Hamel turned to the
blackboard, took a piece of chalk and wrote as large as he could -“Vive la
France!” These words meant “Long Live France”. He then made a gesture with
his hand that the class was dismissed.

13. What made M. Hamel cry towards the end of his last lesson?
Ans. Towards the end of his last French lesson, as the church clock struck
twelve and the trumpets of the Prussians sounded under the window, M. Hamel
was completely overwhelmed with emotions. Feeling choked, he was unable to
talk further and dismissed the class by making a gesture with his hand.

14. How did M.Hamel display his love for the French language?
Ans. M. Hamel had great love for the French language which he had been
teaching for forty years. For him it was the most beautiful, most logical and
clearest language. He wanted the French people to preserve it among
themselves and this would enable them to be free from foreign rule.

15. How is the title ‘The Last Lesson’ appropriate?

Ans. The title ‘The Last Lesson’ is appropriate because it was M. Hamel’s last
lesson and also the last French lesson in the school. During the last lesson, the
teacher, as well as all those who were attending it, were feeling nostalgic and
repentant.

16. What did the French teacher tell his students in his last French lesson? What
impact did it have on them? Why?
Ans. M. Hamel told his students that a new order from Berlin has declared that
all schools of Alsace and Lorraine would teach only German so this was going
to be their last French lesson. This new order aroused patriotic feelings in him
and he, in turn, wanted to arouse similar patriotism in his students and the
village elders. He made them conscious of the glory and value of the French
language and told them to safeguard it among themselves and keep it alive at all
costs as it was the key to their unity and liberation. Everyone listened to him
sadly but with rapt attention and respect. Even little Franz listened to his
teacher’s words with a new-found interest. He felt sorry that he had neglected
learning French. Everyone from the village assembled in the class to thank Mr.
Hamel for his forty years of faithful service to the community.

17. Everybody during the last lesson is filled with regret. Comment.
Ans. The one common feeling that fills each and every person who is present in
the last French lesson is an acute sense of regret. M. Hamel reproaches himself
for putting off his students’ learning till the next day and sending them to water
his flowers instead of learning their lessons. He also gave his students a holiday
when he wanted to go fishing. Franz felt sorry for not learning his lessons and
escaping school. He wished he had attended his classes more often and even the
thought of losing his teacher saddened him. The village elders occupied the
back benches of the class to atone for their guilt and express their regret for not
having attended school regularly. They were now showing their respect for the
country that was theirs no more.

18. Our language is part of our culture and we are proud of it. Describe how
regretful M.Hamel and the village elders are for having neglected their native
language, French.
Ans. The feeling of regretfulness for having neglected their native language,
French comes quite late to M. Hamel and the village elders. They realise rather
late that their language is part of their culture and they should be proud of it. It
is only after they have been deprived of learning their language that they
understand its value. The imposition of German language made them suddenly
realise the authority of their captors and they felt a loss of freedom. So on the
day of the last French lesson the village elders are seated on the back desks and
M. Hamel, who had been teaching French at the school for the last forty years,
was wearing his formal suit as a mark of respect for the last French lesson. M.
Hamel expressed how they all had a great deal to reproach themselves for as
most of the people of Alsace could neither speak nor write French. Parents
preferred to put their children to work on farms or mills.
M. Hamel regretfully said how he himself sometimes sent his students to water
his flowers instead of learning their language lessons. While delivering the last
lesson M. Hamel called upon his students and the village elders to guard the
French language among themselves, declaring it to be the most beautiful
language in the world. Each one of them felt guilty for having ignored the
French lessons.