THE LAST LESSON

all ab ou t
1. The story, 'T he Last Le ss on ' is
m en t.
•Linguistic Ch au vi ni sm '. Co m

W ha t di d lit tle Fr an z fin d m ore appealing th an

2.
going to school that day?

w di ffe re nt fro m us ua l wa s th e at m os ph er e at
3. Ho
son.
school on the da y of the las t les

4. "When a people are ensla

ved, as long as th ey
age it is as if th ey ha ve th e
hold fast to their langu
t on th e basis of th e
key to their prison." Co m m en
story, "T he La st Lesson".

5. Question related to Proc

rastination (th e ac t of
e future tim e)
putting of f something till so m

6. Character sketch of M.
Ha m el

7. Theme and Title

 count ry and banM d thril 14nguage. Also. the
\illag'tB did not value the- conuibutJon of their
Commr:nt on lhe ~Is ol lht
i...on ·.
j
- , "11't t._
1r.che r M JWM I riD he was ordtrc d 10 lea\'e the
count r,. 11•1 lhus IJ'Vt thal ,-alue of a lhlng Is l'oll1lcalt'n)lavt'mtntlsacur1ero,an)'
dtprh-cs ii or Its kkn1ity. The rulm, d:::• 11
,..u,, d only on losil>&IL
101 rrst, ~
own 1erms and subject 1lie n:ul\u
and confioctl life within theltown ~
such1 imeso reruJ a\t'fn r:nt,l 1ls~m otl'lt' f~
which kt.~ps ali\-e their ldenthy and ".andt
LCl'IGANSWDQUISIIONS a symbol or na1ional pride. II hf:lp1 to Pftst ,:
(,ob ,_,.. .,.i., _,IJ IJ•-M thl
hcrlUlgc and c1d1ure uniting people •CliM& tbt
lm.1dcn. 11 binds diem l~th t,, becomn
lXJHlW$111$ 1
comm on source or hope and 1hus bttornts !ht
!I, Wbe adld _.. .... .. -M. llam .tan d
key to their prison. •
- ~ Or ,_,ZO l/1)
Howd idlM _ _ _ dle1NCbel'1old M. I lameI, the frcnch 1eacher, therefort appeaJtd
to hls counl rymcn co saft'guanl thrir lancu .,
hlmd lMlt -lDb e_ _ .._. .,_, ,
He knew 1ha1 langu a~ had 1he immenSt" abWiy
Or 10 nurtu re positive sentim enu. Ile btlr."Cd that
--------he if people would hold on to II, they would bt alMt
-.iM .Ha mll 'I•- .. _,,,. ,01 to pass on the spirit or freedom 10 lhtit Comins
--·----going grnera1ions. Then the war or liberation -.'OUld,
iollChoolUld ..... .. -- ■ bunlenlor contin ue and one day they would be l'rtt.
-.11 edid -lilz bla _M .._l ilh er:
MP!IJOIW.QUESllONS
whom he fell - 1111a UNI. ....,_ -
IIN,sen,p!Mloollnp. . . . . . . . . . .. , 01' Thellory"Theustl,sson"lsllllahoul'lingublic
ollht
llwh ....
ebu._,_
i,me,..,.
wbla. ..... ..... . _hi m
_ _ __
fT chauvlnism'.Commcnl.
Linguistic chauv inbm is a negath-e 1rait ""hkb
.... IUdd<nly he - bet"I .... .- "' Iba grows out of cxC'<."'l'il\'e pride. It nurtures the
opponunhy IO leun any ,._, Ile - . . . 1mdcncy to dL,:,, ..y supertOrit)• by ridiculing
riddm !or havlnc ...,.. ...i Illa - _, 01hers . Acqul.!iition or political power makes
escapln111Chool Nrllff. The lhoulh•<l...... bla people resor1 to mL11Kkls like linguistic chau\'inism
1tach etl.,. ...,_a lmnd ypoi nU. rousc n 1hemsclves.The scory •Toe LJ&st Lesson"
lnltlally, Fnmz 't reac:Uon was Ille lbal of a . . . ii an ap1 example abom lin1,'l1is1ic chauvinism
,uud. by lhund n. wer, he plkl - andl11damagingcfT«1s.
auenllon 10 the In.son and was surpr1led at 1111
Occupation or French 1crrilory durin g the 1870.
ability to undfnt&nd things clearly. ffll ....._ ..
71 wa, had made the Prusslans so :uroganl 1h11
auilude made him realise that hll boob . hll
tcacM,, and evt'rythJngabout &heKhool._. hll
ti-, barre d the framing or French and lmp<>St'd
prized poss,essions. German language in the invaded areas. II was an
lltlllmpl lo dominate e\'en the mind s and heans
•1w.ma,woJManr,ulat'ftl.1U4olrc•""'1"""'
<I Iba people whom !hey had delea i«l. On 1he
flUtlO lltrirl mtlfll tlPlll sasift lwyM tltlwb JIO
thdrp rlum. • Olhn band. the ~nlit y of 1he J:renth was under
lluw.Thry _lO. ..,.lh rirpo silio nbyu ~

•
 L"\'-'1)' minute of ihe l.ut lesson. Their 1eacher TilC Prussl.ans p..s.wd oroers compelling the study
~ucmpted to pass on the linguis1lc legacy IO his of Grrman language because they bdie\'ed ii to
students and lhcy sincerely accepted C\'Ctyblt or it. be the best in the world. They wan1ed to rob 1he
Q-1. Write• nolf' on thf' chanw:ter of M. Hamel as a French of1helr true identity by stopping the study
teacher. Or of French language. When Franz hears the cooing
'A l«ll"h~rsl1oulll brt1 frfr,111. t111l1lloso,,l,rrm1fl '"
or pigeons, he ~mnders if this spontaneous sound
guukforhUpupiu.' could also be stopped.

Do you th1nk M. Hamel fi1s Into this Image of a Franz considers the arrogance of Prussians as a
teachutDlscuss. wasted effon that cannot ensla~ lnhctent natu~
ofbelngs.
M. Hamel CR\Cfgt'S as an epilomc ofun itleal 1e.ii;hcr
in the story ··111e Last 1.csson". lie is introduced Q6. Our native language Is par1 ofourcultu~ and~
b)' the narrator as a ruler-wielding ro1wcntlonal
arc proud of It. llow does the pn!:'Sffltt' of village
teacher. who Is strict and cranky. One feels that he elderslntheclusroomandM.llamd'slastlesson
is inscnsll i\'C 1o the feelings ofhis sludents. showtheirloveforFrenchl WCBSE20l6J

llowe\'er. as the story progrcsst..-s. he is seen Hkc a The fact 1hat the villagee.lders bothered 10 attend
1rue facililalor. a Kt1ide and a philosopher for his school for 1he last lesson ~-eals their love for
studenLS..·n,c utmost sincerity and p.uit..'llCC. that he French. Had they not been proud of their language
as parl of their culture. they would ha\'e evaded
exhibits while deli\'ering the last lesson, cams him
C'\'ef')'One"s respec1. He ad\'ises the innocen1 \illagt"f'S
school e\'en on that da)'· The elders knew that the
class would be full to capacity. still they came and
10 lla)' more anention to learn their mother tongue.
occupied the last benches. Maintaining perfect
Ile urges his stude,us to shake off procras1in:uion
and safeguard their language as it was the key to discipline. the)' sincerel)' went through the lessons
along\\ith their teacher.
their prison. Being deeply patriotic. he is choked
with emotion and fails to uner goodbye bu! proudly M. Hamel's \as1 lesson too displayed the French
\,Titcs'Vit.elaPrru,re'ontheblackboard. people's det·p regard for their native language
and cuhure. The teacher tried to gi\'e his best 10
M. I lame! is thus sha1>Cd up as an iclca\ teacher.
the class and the students grasped evcr')'thing
1ruc guide, 1>hilosophcr and patriot to the core.
anemivcly. Each one present for the las1 lesson
QS. Franzthinks."IVilltheymaS.:~themsi11gi11C,cmum, believed ~I. llamel when he termed French as the
e1,r,1 th~ pigttmsr. perfect language. It was 1he IO\'e for their mother
How does the expression evoke feelings of longue 1hat aroused their patriotic sentiments
lndlscrlmlna1edomlnadonbymant when M. I lame! signed orr b)• writing 'Vi11f La
This philosophical idea of Franz signals the irony Fm,in•.' on 1hc blackboard.

of life. Men have a s1rong desire for power and Q7. E\·erybody during the last lt.-s.son ls Rited with
unfortunately they use ii mercilessly when they rt"gret.Commcnt. Or (AJCBSE2015)
achieve it. lltcy believe in absolute ensla~mcnt The entire classroom. M. Hamel as well as those
and thus want to acquire nm only the lands bu1 present In 1he class, ls full of ~rel. For what and
also master the souls of the p<."<>ple O\'erpO\~crcd Wh)'l Or (Forrir2016)
by them. Franz is awakened to 1his quaim aspt..-cl
Our natl\~ language Is part of our culture and we
of human behaviour and he wonders if such an
are proud or It. Describe how regretful M. Hamel
ambition can be actually realized.

Ult~TUl!FtnMPAHION (~taMlll-U
 naJ kk. ,11 i~T he~ ,
,uc s.s .~o es1 opn .'5C n-c n., 1io
'ry wo rd .spo~ri b),
att for h•\•lng nr,cfN1rd pa id abs olu lc au cn lio n ro n't
tt>rUt/1016/ ech ild rtn in 't'titirig
and ttM' ,ill ,gt c-l«f1 h Jilm. n1 c <'ldcrs: 100, joi ned 1h
'"" "" ~. frr nC ' • 1
1tM-Un• ~ iii tilk-d \\ilh rt,crt Jcs.soll5 from the pri me r.
f\'l'f'lt,'..1d')'Jurin,i1htL151
bn gu asr Frl'nd1
On e poli1ical order ha d uni
rcd C\'t'l'}'Onc 10 J>U/lur
tht t
' na~ :n< I hill 1111~odancr vin K rhe irc uhu rr
/i11 h.ln1• n()tft'fttd
hc- rhe cum mo n mb siu n of pre scr
~J .1, •o f1tx-las111•,;son.
lt\J l bl" "'°. .r'> ' "~ lon (K tol pu 11 Jn c~
011
nng 1hc stu dy nf (}9 /ll ow did pr oc ra ,1b iat
andJ'C'rfl"l"1dhC1J1l•rN" :t'f bar nc:hCoW
l'rior 10 1hr PnL\..\l.ln on
Milh German.
V o«1UlsomcfufUttllmeJlnlt!iimlngfrr
,.R'fl(h l,n~•-.."' ind rt'p/.;tC1n,1C 11 1heFrench pe op led rar lyr
gra nw d ~ud~•n1,;
tht n,1 1'\f t h,11.1 w. tfl ma flff l for all on btOVt'rc:omr-r
~ ofccn llS ,,os,1hlt•, I fow can the vlc eof pro cru lln
W..r ,.ra nt (nt \J to n-a dr u:t, ool
cy to kn -p J>OStJ)Ollu}g
ri$0ns YI ~ IC'amf half hcar1td
1)' an J 1hc tc.arlwr Procras1in.a1ion is 1hc icn dcn
1 oy any thi ng -cv m,
had lo ft'Wr1 IO ruk-1 10 ltt
'p lhl' l lSJS~ un der 1hings. l1 i.1:a vked1,.11can dd :rr
a,m 1io n. Th is 11
ronirol. But cM ~ , ~rndcn
hi, arKt the lca dw r cul 1ur e.f ree dom a11 dpo we rof
llt' ass nnb ted for Ju rin g the French.
wo tta d1trc-ft'nl loo l nht'fl ('\t" f)'O wh al hap pt• ntd lo the Fre nch
1ifullo(n-gn·1 for
thf bs rfl ffl th ~. E\fl)'OIK'W2 l'n mi an wa rin 1870-71.
learn their 11a1iw e ou tdo ors Sttking
M \ q ~ tht -nt td 10 1=ram; lo\'cd tn spe nd his 1im
1 in spilc of bc~I en do n lo his.Rudics.
bn ,;u ~ ,..Kh OM l.rlt"t\ 1ha pleasure ralher lha.n pa) ing an
t l>f' able 10 makc•
C'ff'om tht Wt lns on wo ulJ no espt!cially rhe lea rni ng of hi.<i
i mo the r tongue. Th r
e1 and rcmor,;c
up fo, tht los1 um e llrn ce. rq:r elders 1111hc ,;u age 100 ha d ma
de lhe far al mistal.r
m11udtha1day ing educarJon and
of ignoring 1hr- nee d of acq uir
u the a1mosph~re at ec uu aJ app roa ch of
9'- llowdift'tmu from usu aJw lre asu rin g the ir lan gua ge. Th
1~ nr WCBSJ:ZOISJ rly wh en the y Jost
.w: ilo olo ntM d.l )·o (tM J15 1hese peo ple cos t the m dea
o, righ1 rol eam and us, r
rhc irfr ecd om and wi th ii 1he
I lowdid tht ord rr from Btr lin
ma ng e the si rua 0011 )• no t sur ttn de rfd 10
(AJCBSI.ZOISJ
rheir nKJthcr 1ongue. I lad the
inschool? Or y wo uld 001 hu'l"
lhe vice of prrK"raslina1fon, lhe
da par tk- ul1 rua l In
Th ror dtt from Btt lin aro uw bee n a.<lisrruck as 1hey\\-ere.
tlo nip 20 ISJ
lhtw:hoolC.Ommfflt. ufca1e 1he habil of
11 Is a mu sr for all of us m inc
atmosphet't" al
On 1ht' d.i) of 1M lalC Jrsson rhe cat chi ng lim e by rhe forelock
an d sav e ourseh"tS
Un p- 1hc.' fL'fiing-.
school w.u mad.NI b)• mix td ftt nuniiics.
lled up emo1i<Jn~ from regre1 ar the loss ofoppo
oi pa1riouc ftn l)u f, tt'g ffl. and Yl'f an d his hab it of evading
from 1ht' opening QJO. Do you rel ate lo J=ranz
lhu all) ' k>od lkHM'S. coming sin cer fly 1ow,rds
and ciosmgofdts b. n-pet.Jhon
olk" 'i!IO llS in 1111i-.011, sch ool wo rkf Do you fin d his
and lht' ce~ htt rapping hi) ruJ r,
on the iablcoouJd the end 1ob eau 1hc nrl cf
Ortk.'t from lil11Jn Jng of lhc beh avi our
bc.-heanJt\'t.'fl in tJ--.•~rm. &11 lllf' Hu ed on )'Our un de nta nd
lhe .SIUd('1ll.s \\'ere cha rac 1er of Franz
had chang..'dl"\'t'()1hing lod.ay or )'Oung chi ldr en, ass.cu the
come 1oa1tcnd 111d ll.s1 lhe val urs 1ha1 you can lea rn fro m him .
In lhr ir1>1.ices. r,'t'n lht' l'ldershad
was dressed in hh
:,' .u l leswn. and •he learht·r \\Titer as a l)'PicaJ
rra ni has btt n dep ict ed by the
1am nt. Disciplinr
)'Uung lad who is dimcul1 to be
poo the school
Gradually a l>atlkular zt~ f'll\'do is ~~ hallmark of sch ool life
wh ich is narurall)'
or wa mm ar will;
Tht' tea~hcr e111JainOO lhe ruleS res isie d b)• a ,ib ran i boy
like Fra nz. SimiJul)'·
his lesson with
rart pat1cnct'. Ill' int('Q:JK'lsed )'Otmg chi/drt.'n an- full of
ene rgy an d paS5hT
 messages to preserve national identity. The stud
ents
for having neglected paid absolute attention to every word spoken b
and 1he vtllll' elders arech <o,lhl2016J him. The elders too, joined the children in rec·
thelrnlthe laDPII'• Pren • . •Y
Ittng
durln8 the last 1esson Is filled with regret lessons from the primer.
EverybodY ected their native 1angu111e, French. One political order.had united everyone to pu
for havll18 negl b bind full attendance rsue
'JbBI Is precisely the reason e the common mission of preserving their cultu
re.
dl d line on the daY of the last lesson.
Q9A :ow did procrastination (act ofputting som
and perfeetth PrUs~tan order barrtn8 the study of ethin
Prior to e
French 1anguaF and replacinB It with German,
,V off till some future time) in le3l'ning French cos~
the nattves bad taken matters for granted. Students the French people dearly?
like FlallZ tried to eV8(1e school as often as possible. How can the vice ofprocrastination·be overcom
e?
L,eSSODS were tearnt half-heartedly and the Procrastination is the tendency to keep postponin
teacher g
bad to resort to ruler to keep the class under . things. It is a vice that can destroy anything- caree
. r'
contrOL But the school, stud~ts, and the teacher culture,freedomandpowerofanation. This
is
wore adifferent lookwhen everyone assembled for · · what happened to the French during the Fren
ch-
tbeldFrenchlessOD, EveeyOnewas full ofregret for
. PrussianwarinIB70-71.
ha W IB ~ the need to learn their native
tanguage. Each one knew that In spite of best
.. ·Franz loved to spend his time outdoors seeking
,· pleasure rather than paying attention to his studies,
efforts 'the last lesson' would not be able to make-
especially the learning of liis mother tongue. The
up for the lost time. Hence, regret and remorse
elders in the village too had made the fatal mistake
marked that day.
of ignoring the need of acquiring education 'and
How dlffereiit from usual was the a~osphere at
treasuring their language. The casual approach
schoolonthedayofthelastlessont (AICBSB20ISJ of
th~ people cost them dearly when they lost
Or their freedom and with it the right to learn and use
Howdld the order from Berlin changethesltuadon
their mother tongu~. Had they not surrendered
inschoolt Or (AICBSB2015J to
.the .vice of procrastination, they would not have
The order from Berlin aroused a particular zeal in
.been as stru ck~ theywere_.
the school Comment. . . :• (P~relgn2015J
•It is a must for all of us to inculcate the habi
On the day of the last lesson the atmosphere at t of
catching time by the forelock and save ourselve
school was marked by mixed feelings-the feelings s
• from regret at the
of patriotic feivour, regret, and welled up emotions. loss of opportunities.
Usually loud noises, coming from the opening Q O. Do you relate to Franz and his habit of evading
. 1
and closing of desks, repetition oflessons in unison, scho ol work? D~ you find his sincerity towards
and the teacher rapping his ruler on the table could the ~nd to be authentic? •
be heard even in the street. But the order from Berlin Based on your understanding of the behaviou
~ad c~anged everything. Today the students were r
of young children, assess the character of Fran
m the1~ places, even the elders had come to atten z
d and_li5l the values that you can learn from him.
the last lesson, and the teacher was dressed in hi
b~st. • Franz has been depicted by the writer as a typic
s al
'.oung lad ~ho is difficult to be tamed. Discipline
Gradually a particular zeal enveloped•the scho
ol. is th e hallmark of school life which is naturally
The teacher explained the rules of grammar 'th
rare patie· nce. He inter resisted by a vibrant boy like Franz. Similarly
spersed h'1s 1esson withWI ,
young children are full of energy and passive

LITERATURE COMPANION
12 ENGLISH (CORE)- 12 :
----

l
-
every minute of the last lesson• Theu • t each er
The Prussians passed orders compelling the study
attempted to pass on the linguistic legacy to his
of German language b ecause they believed it to
students and they sincerely accepted every bit of it.
be_ the best in the world. They wanted to rob the
Q4. Write a note on the character of M. Hamel as a ~ren~h of their true identity by stopping the study
teacher. Or of F~ench language. When Franz hears the cooing
'A teacher should be a friend, a philosopher and a of pigeons, he wonders if this spontaneous sound
guidefor his pupils.'· could also be stopped.

Do you think M. Hamel fits into this image of a Fra_nz considers the arrogance of Prussians as a
teacher? Discuss. • wasted effort that cannot enslave inherent nature
of beings.
M. Hamel emerges as an epitome of an ideal teacher
Q6. Our native language is part of 9ur culture and we •
in the story "The Last Lesson".· He is introduced
are proud of it. How does the presence of village
by the narrator as a ruler-wielding conventional
elders in the classroom andM. Hamel's last lesson
teacher, who is strict and cranky. One feels that he
show their love for French? (AICBSE2016J
is insensitive to the feelings of his students.
The fact that the village elders bo.thered to attend
However, as the story progresses, he is seen like a
school for the last lesson reveals their love for
true facilitat«;>r, a guide and a philosopher for his
French. Had they not been proud of their language
students. The utmost sincerity and patience, that he
as part of their culture, they would have evaded
exhibits while delivering the last lesson, earns him
school even on that day. The elders knew that the
everyone's respect. He advises the innocent villagers
class would be full to capacity; still they came and
to pay more attention to learn their mother tongue.
occupied the last benches. Maintainirlg perfect
He urges his students to shake off procrastination
discipline, they sincerely went through the lessons
and safeguard their language .as it was. the key to
alongwith their teacher.
their prison. Being deeply patriotic, he is choked
M. Hamel Is last lesson too displayed the French
with emotion and fails to utter goodbye but proudly
people's deep regard for their _native language
writes' ViveLaFrance' on the blackboard.
and culture. The teacher tried to give his best to
M. Hamel is thus shaped up as an ideal teacher,
the class and the students grasped everything
true guide, philosopher and patriot to the core. attentively. Each one present for the last lesson
Q5. Franz thinks, "Will they make them sing in German, believed M. Hamel when he termed French as the
even the pigeons?". perfect language. It was the love for their mother
How does the expression evoke feelings of tongue that· aro_used their patriotic sentiments
indiscriminate domination by man?. when M. Hamel signed off by writing 'Vive La
France!' on the blackboard.
This philosophical idea of Franz signals the irony
of life. Men have a strong desire for power and Q7. Everybody during the last lesson is filled with
unfortunately they use it mercilessly when they regret.Comment. Or • (AICBSE2015J

achieve it. They believe in absolute enslavement The entire classroom, M. Hamel as well as those
and thus want to acquire not only the lands but present in the class, is full of regret. For what and
also master the souls of the people overpowered why? Or (Foreig,12016)
by them. Franz is awakened to this quaint a~pect
Our native language is part of our culture and we
of human behaviour and he wonders if such an
are proud of it. Describe how regretful M. Hamel
ambition can be actually realized.

11 ENGLISH (CORE) - 12
LITERATURE COMPANION