ENGLISH CORE

STD: XII

THE LAST LESSON

Q.1. Explain the inference that can be drawn from the line: “Will they make
them sing in German, even the pigeons?”

Ans. The line suggests that the imposition of the German language on the
French people is so complete that even the natural elements, like pigeons,
would be forced to conform. It highlights the oppressive nature of the
conquerors in erasing the local culture and language.

Q.2. We miss a thing when we are in fear of losing it. Substantiate this
statement with two examples from ‘The Last Lesson’, how the people in the
story suddenly realised how precious their language was to them.

Ans. In ‘The Last Lesson,’ villagers regret not valuing their language when
they learn it will no longer be taught. M. Hamel’s sorrowful farewell
emphasizes the significance of their native tongue, which they had taken
for granted.

Q.3. The last lesson reflects the flaws in human character that led to the
sad plight of people in Alsace. Substantiate your answer with evidences
from the text.

Ans. The text suggests the flaws in human character that contributed to
the sad plight of the people in Alsace. M. Hamel, in his final lesson, points
out the procrastination and neglect of learning among both the students
and their parents. He mentions how everyone, including himself, had put off
learning, thinking they had plenty of time. The teacher acknowledges his
own role in diverting students from studies, such as sending them to water
flowers or giving holidays for fishing.

Moreover, the mention of the old men of the village sitting in the back of
the room with regretful expressions indicates a collective sense of remorse.
Their failure to prioritize education and language learning contributed to the
vulnerability of the community when faced with the imposition of German
as the sole language of instruction. Overall, the text suggests that personal
shortcomings, including procrastination and a lack of commitment to
education, played a part in the cultural and linguistic crisis faced by the
people of Alsace.

Q.4. Educating children is the responsibility of society. Justify the

statement in view of ‘The Last Lesson’.

Ans. Children are the future of a nation and so, educating them is the
responsibility of the society to ensure a better, brighter future. In the story,
‘The Last Lesson’ we see that the enemy country targets the schools of
Alsace and Lorraine. After defeating France, Prussia annexed the districts
of Alsace and Lorraine and replaced French subject with German in the
schools there. They targeted school children to weaken the future of
France. When the students would grow up, they would feel alienated from
their motherland France and would gradually get inclined towards Germany.
Thus, this plan of Prussians shows that children are the future of a nation
and thus, their education has to be ensured by the society.

Q.5. Everybody during the last lesson was filled with regret. Critically
assess the statement.

Ans. According to the order from Berlin, only German was to be taught in
the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. This order left Mr. Hamel, the village
people and the Mr. Hamel’s students in deep regret. The villagers regretted
not having made utmost use of the French lessons that they had been
given by Mr Hamel. They had engaged themselves in their profession to
earn a living and had not taken their French lessons seriously. The children
and the villagers sitting in the class had always thought that they had
enough time to learn the language. But now, during the last French lesson,
everybody realised their mistake. They realised how little they knew their
native language. They all attended the last lesson to show their respect to
their teacher and their country, which was no longer theirs.

Q.6. What was unusual in the market and in the classroom on the day of
the last lesson?

Ans. There was a huge crowd around the bulletin board which displayed all
news and announcements related to the war. It indicated that something
new had been put up there. The school was unusually quiet like it used to
be on a Sunday morning. There was no hustle bustle, no sound of desks
creaking. M Hamel was walking in one of the classrooms with his stick
under his arm. He wore a solemn expression and was gentle. Franz was
scared of being reprimanded for coming late to school. However, M Hamel
spoke gently and was unusually calm. All these changes made Franz
wonder.

Q.7. Write a brief character sketch of M. Hamel.

Ans. M. Hamel was taken as a strict teacher. Students were afraid of his
iron ruler. He was a very sincere and dedicated teacher who served for forty
long years in his service as a teacher to the village in Alsace. When he got
the notice to vacate his place to make space for the new German teacher,
he was totally broken. He remained sad and nostalgic during his final class
as he loved his country very much. This changed his behaviour; he behaved
rather very politely and patiently. When Franz was not able to say his lesson
correctly, instead of scolding him he just made him understand the
relevance of learning the mother tongue. He preached to everyone present
in the class that important things should never been postponed. He
regretted the fact that learning of French was never given any importance

Q.8. How was M. Hamel different in his last lesson? Who did he scold and
for what?

Ans. M Hamel had taught in the school for the last forty years. However, an
order from Prussia, made it his last lesson that day because now, French
would no longer be taught in schools of the French districts of Alsace and
Lorraine. This announcement had a deep impact on the teacher. He was
solemn and gentle. He walked up and down the rows of the classroom with
his stick placed under his arm. However, his behaviour was unusual. He
was gentle and calm in opposition to his strict demeanour. He did not scold
Franz for being late that day. That day, M Hamel was dressed in his formal
attire which he would wear only on special occasions. He sat motionless,
gazing at things, perhaps to fix the setting of the classroom in his mind.

That day, he did not scold Franz for being late or for not preparing the topic
of Participles. He rued that the French did not take studies seriously and
put it off for another day. The parents and teachers were to be blamed for
not taking academics seriously. M Hamel blamed himself also for going
fishing and sending students to water the plants instead of teaching them.
Thus, he made confessions and tried to amend by conveying the
importance of the mother tongue to the students.

Q.9. The story ‘The Last Lesson’ is all about ‘linguistic chauvinism’.
Evaluate the statement.

Ans. Man was born free but he has bound himself everywhere in chains –
the chains of communism, regionalism, nationalities and even linguistic
confinements. War and battles for acquiring power became a part of his
nature. His desire to rule and become the lord of the world, made him
selfish and self-centred. The story ‘The Last Lesson’ is all about linguistic
chauvinism. Acquisition of power over the people of Alsace made the
Prussians so domineering that they imposed even their language on them.
Their pride in their language was so fixed that there was no scope of
respecting and accepting the language of others. Their rulers wanted to
dominate even their minds and hearts and wanted them to even think in
their language, thereby causing the loss of their identity. The story thus
highlights linguistic chauvinism which is becoming a major cause of wars
and political disturbance in the world.

Q.10. ‘When a people are enslaved, as long as they hold fast to their
language it is as if they had the key to the prison’. Rationally assess the
statement.

Ans. Political enslavement is a curse for any nation as it deprives it of its

identity. The natives of the country do not enjoy any kind of freedom,
physical or mental. The ruling government dictates its own terms and
compels them to abide by these rules. The enslaved natives become
victims of a confined life with no hope of ever being free in their
motherland. At such times of enslavement, it is their language which keeps
their identity alive. It unites them against the foreigners who have invaded
their motherland. Their language is the key to their prison as it binds them
together. It constantly reminds them of their enslavement and thus urges
them to fight for the liberation of their motherland. Here M.Hamel reminds
his countrymen to safeguard their language after they’ve received orders
from Berlin. He knew that his countrymen could liberate themselves only if
they recognized and maintained their identity through their mother tongue.
Thus even though it was their last lesson, M.Hamel wanted them to be
proud of the beautiful French language.