Flamingo

Le-1
The Last Lesson
Alphonse Daudet
Value points:
 Franz—afraid of going to school—has not learnt participles
 His temptations are—to enjoy beauty of nature, the bright sunshine, the
birds chirruping in the woods and Prussian soldiers drilling—but resists
 Bulletin board—all bad news, lost battles, the drafts and orders of the
commanding officers
 Franz—wondering what could be next
 Changes in the school—Franz notices:
 Complete silence in the school as Sunday morning
 Teacher being very calm and serious—not scolding him
 Teacher dressing up in his Sunday best
 Villagers occupying the last benches
 Probably to pay tribute to M. Hamel for his 40 years of sincere service
and also to express their solidarity with France
 M. Hamel’s announcement in the class—M. Hamel declares:
 As per an order from Berlin—no more French classes in Alsace and
Lorraine from the next day—only German language will be taught
 Franz—understands that the same has been probably put up on the
bulletin board
 Franz—realizes that he does not know his own mother tongue—regrets
why he has not taken his lessons seriously
  Also realizes the reason behind the teacher’s new style of dress and
villagers sitting at the back
 Hamel blames all three—the children, the parents and he himself are to
be blamed for losing respect and regard for the mother tongue
 Speaks on Linguistic chauvinism—Carrying pride in one’s language—
French language is the most beautiful language—keeping the mother
tongue close to the 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—wondering sarcastically if Prussians could force pigeons to coo in
German
 Hamel’s dismissing the class— overcomes with emotions—unable to
speak further and writes on the black board “Long Live France”
Literary Devices:
 Metaphor: What a Thunderclap!— Franz emphasizes the suddenness of
the announcement by equating it with the loud, disrupting sound of
thunder.
 Simile:
(i) Looked like little flags—Franz interprets the slips as flags
planted in the territory of the students' desks.
(ii) As if they had the key to their prison—Daudet uses simile to
liken(compare) knowledge of one's native language to a
key that lets them escape the prison that is the forces
seeking to oppress and control them.
 Irony:
(i) Unnecessary Dread—The story begins with Franz dreading
school because he is running late and has not prepared for
the grammar lesson on participles but his teacher M. Hamel
does not scold him.
(ii) Books become old friends—Franz's resentment towards
school suddenly transforms into a profound appreciation
for the now-forbidden acquisition of knowledge.
 Imagery:
(i) Benches worn smooth—Daudet conveys the passage of
time by detailing the incremental growth and wearing of
the objects that fill out the setting
(ii) Sound of pens scratching paper—Daudet conveys the
silence of the room by emphasizing the quiet and precise
sound of the students' pens on paper
(iii) Hung from the rod at the top of our desks