THELASTILESSON

Alphonse Daudet

chaplerSketch About the Author

Last
Lesson is set in the days of Alphonse Daudet (1840-1897) was a French novelist and shortstory writer.
TheFranco-Prussian War (1870-1871).
His actual experience of life at every social level and in the course of travels
Bismarck, Prussia defeated
Ledby of
the Frrench districts helped to develop his natural gifts.
France, and
During the Franco-Prussian War, which had a profound effect on his
passed into
and Lorraine
Asace
hands. The two protagonists writing, he enlisted in the French Army. France lost the war and his failing
Prussian
thestory, MHamel
and Franz,
o
Alsace. M Hamel is a health forced him to go back to writing for the rest of his life.
belongto.
teacher at a school
Enench language of
Franzis one his students. The
and
atnyrevolves around
orOVes be a
tot
how the war
life-altering event
Summary of the Chapter
torboth Franz is Reluctant to go to School
Franz started for school very late that morning. His French teacher,
About the Characters MHamel, had announced that he would question theclass on participles.
Franz He is a sensitive
and Poor Franz did not know even a single word about them and was afraid of
onest schoolboy who accepts a scolding from his teacher.
his fault of ignoring his lessons.
MHamel He is a sincere and
It wasabright sunny day and for a moment Franz thought of running
strict teacher of the French away and spending the day outside. The chirping of birds and the marching
of the Prussian soldiers was much more tempting than the rules of
language who is passionately
catriotic. He breaks down at the participles. However, Franz was able to fight the temptation and hurried off
endof his last lesson. to school.
On his way to school, Franz passed the town hlland noticed a crowd in
front of the bulletin board. For the past two years, all the bad news had
come from it and Franz thought about what the matter was this time. As he
was hurrying past, Wachter, the blacksmith, called out to him and said that
there was plenty of time to reach the school. Franz thought that he was
making fun of him and reached the school panting.
 Criticises Himself.and the
226 Hamel
People
M ofAlsace of this, he
thinking all
Behaviour puisedto
was hi% turn to recite,
WhileFranzou,it was just able to say the
heard
h
MHamel's Strange
the hol, he was
ery
the hool name
alled
anything tobe
When trant reahel when untortunately, he got
Usually.
tind that venthngwas quiet Ommotonand tohs
tivity havegiven But ashanedand stoodmixed
began, there wwukl eagreat commoton to Ket as andlearly. He was
wors. thathe would not scold
Fran: had oten unted on theverything was as quiethis tirst MHamelsaid Alsacefor their
desk unnotnd But, that dayFranz noticedthat all of was desk.
criticisedthe
people of
some time in the
habit
of
was n a Sunday nnorning
clasmas wrre alreaty in their seats and MHlumel
his arm.
his iron ruler under front of
blamed
learning
puttingtheir
for
future.
off parentsfor not taking interest In thenHe
walkng up and dwn with blamed himself tor this.
He hal uopen the door and reach
his seat in
frightened. sent the
studies. He
students Often,
also to water his plants or gave thenabe
nrntty. He was blushing and was verywasthat, instead he had wanted to
go fishing.
when
What surprised and contused him moe kindly to him and holiday
of wokling him, MHamcl spoke
tod hum to take his seat.
very M Tongue
ImportanceofMother
talked about the French
Franz Notices Many Unusual Things
then language.
MHamelitthe most beautiful, the clearest and the
at School Hecalled languageinthe world. He wanted the
noticed that MHamel mostlogical
people of Franceto treasure their language. Accordity
After Franz had calmed down, he wore only on spectal people of a particular
waswearing aspecial attire,
which he enslaved,
tohim,
whenever
as long the
as they are attached to their natlanguag
ion
Vcasions. The whole school was so strange and a
their prison.
setiousness prevailed in the atmosphere. But what
as if they
have the key to
was to see the village it is
surprised and confused hinm most all
benches. They The LastLesson
people sitting quiertly onthe back book and taught them
looked very sad.
Hamel opened a grammaramazed to see how well
M Franz was
The Order from Berlin last lesson.
their
understood everything. Franz thought that thprobab;
observed the changes
Franz was stillwondering as hemounted he attention in the class and
around him, when M Hamel on his chair and he never paid much explained everything with so
made the dreadful announcement.
He told the class that MHamel had never that they had a lesson in writing
it was their last French lesson. much patience. After
copies for them that day
teach only German in
The order had come from Berlin toand he would be MHamel had brought newtheir work. Even the i.
the schools of Alsace and
Lorraine Everyone was immersed in tracingtheir fish
words were ashock
leaving the school the next day. Thesethe gathering at the children sitting in the class were
too.
to lirtle Franz. Now he remembered by the sudden turn of hooks, as if that was French
shocked
town hall. Franz was totally
events. He regretted not having learnt his lessons when The Final Good Bye
motionless in his chait.
there was still time. All this while, M Hamel sat to imprint this
them. He had wasted Franz thought that M Hamel wanted
Now, he will never be able to learn engaging himself in 40 years, he had
his precious time away from the
class, classroom scene in his mind. For
eggs, going sliding on school and now his
useless activities like seeking bird's given his faithful service to the this must have been
books, which were a All
the Sarr river and so on. His sister was packing their stuff. they had alesst
old friends. His really heart breaking for him. Finally,
nuisance to him, suddenly felt like
feelings for his teacher too started changing. in history.
away and Franz theend; some
The thought that M Hamel was going Everybody became emotional towards the courage anu
forget all about Hamel had
would never see him again, made himfeeling very sorry for even started crying, but M Finally, as the
how cranky M Hamel was. Franz was patience tohear every lesson to the last.
he had put church-clock struck twelve, M Hamel stood up. ItHewa
him. It was in honour of his last lesson' that
on his fine clothes, andthe village people had gathered very evident that he had become
emotional too.
there to express their gratitudetowards him, and to show tried to speak, but choked.
their respect for their country and their language.
 n On

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ass 12th TheLastLesson

227
Thenhe rurned to the blackboard and wrote as large Page 4
she could'Vive La France!' which means 'long live
primer
S France He then
seryone to leave,
dismissed the class, signalling thumbed at the
an elementary book for
teaching children to read
with pages worn out or soiled
edges due to frequent
ald handling
thunderclap a crashingsound of thunder
nlothe
ud WORD MEANINGS wretches
Saar
villains; people deserving contempt
a river in
The given page numbers coTrespond to the þages in the North-Eastern France and Western
Germany
He NCERTtextbook. cranky bad-tempered, eccentric or strange
Page2 Page 5
le reproach
of- criticise ourselves for
in great dread with great fear of
Ourselves with
driling undergoing military training exercises
Page 7
Page 3 at one stroke by a single action having immediate effect
apprentice trainee, a person who is learning a trade
from a skilled employer Page 8
a great bustle excited activity and movement Angelus a bell rung as call to recite the Angelus-a
in unison allat once, together devotional prayer in the Roman Catholic Church
striking rapidly on a hard surface, especially bearing on pressing
rapping Vive La France
in order to attract attention long live France
COunted on relied or depended on