THE LAST LESSON

BY ALPHONSE DAUDET
01 02 03 04
I can analyze I can infer the I can I can formulate
and explain why importance of a understand the well-structured
Language is native language. concept of answers for the
important to any Linguistic questions
community. Chauvinism. asked.

LEARNING TARGETS
 Do you take pride in your national
language? Why?

Do you think your language is superior to

other languages spoken across the world?
DISCUSS Why / Why not?

Do you believe in treating other

languages equally important as yours?
Why?
 Alphonse Daudet’s ‘The Last Lesson’ is set in Alsace, a
territory that was dispatched between- France and
Germany (than a part of Prussia) France has been
defeated by Prussia in the Franco-Prussian War and
Alsace and Lorraine had been handed over to Prussia.

INTRODUCTION This is an account of the students who were there to study

German. The students and other citizens who identify
themselves as French had not valued their mother tongue.

The lesson renders a torching and emotional adieu to the

identity of the French who were being deprived not only of
their political freedom but also their identity.
MESSAGE
This story reflects upon the arrogance of the colonizer to forcibly take away the rights of
those who are colonized. “The last lesson” stresses the importance of education and the
necessity to respect and learn one’s own language. This story draws our attention to the
unfair practice of linguistic chauvinism. It refers to an unreasonable pride in one’s own
language while disregarding all the other languages as inferior.
THEMES
•Language and Identity

•The Value of Education

•Cultural Erasure

•Regret

•Linguistic Chauvinism
 1) What was Franz expected to be prepared with for school
that day?

2) Why was Franz tempted to play truant from school?

3) What was unusual about the school that Franz noticed

when he entered the school?

4) What had been put up on the bulletin-board?

5) What changes did the order from Berlin cause in school

SHORT 6)
that day?

How did Franz's feelings about M Hamel and school

ANSWER change?

7) What reasons did M Hamel give for their lack of interest

QUESTIONS in learning French?

8) Why doesn‘t M Hamel want the people to forget French?

9) Franz thinks, “Will they make them sing in German,

even the pigeons?” What could this mean?

10) Describe how M Hamel conducted the last lesson.

11) What did M Hamel say about the French language?

 LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS
❖1. What is the significance of the historical context in which "The Last Lesson" is set?
 LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS
❖2. How does the idiom "you don't know what you have until it's gone" apply to "The
Last Lesson"?

❖
 LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS
❖3. What is linguistic chauvinism ? Explain the statement in reference to M Hamel's
views about his language.

❖
The Last Lesson (Summary)
Gap-fill exercise

The prose 'The Last Lesson', written by ______ narrates about the year 1870 when
the ______forces under Bismark attacked and______ France. The French districts
of ______and ______ went into Prussian hands. The new Prussian rulers discontinued the
teaching of ______ in the schools of these two districts. The French teachers were asked
to ______. The story ______ the ______ of one such French teacher, ______. He
gave ______to his students with utmost ______ and sincerity as ever. The story depicts the
pathos of the whole situation about how ______ feel when they don’t learn their own ______
and then losing an asset in M.Hamel.

One of his students ______ who ______ French class and M. Hamel's ______ rod, came to the
school that day thinking he would be ______ as he had not learnt his lesson. But on reaching
school he found Mr. ______ dressed in ______ clothes and all the ______ of the ______ sitting
there. It was due to an order on the ______ board. That was the first day when he realised for
the first time that how ______ French was for him, but it was his LAST LESSON in ______.