(Flamingo) Chapter 1-The Last Lesson

Summary

In 1870, during the France-Prussian War, Prussia (Germany, Poland, and parts of Austria)
conquered two French districts, Alsace and Lorraine. After the conquer, Berlin ordered the
French districts to stop teaching French in all the schools across the districts and hire new
teachers who could teach German, instead of French.

Franz, as usual, is late for the class and on the way notices Prussian soldiers drilling, people
hanging on the bulletin board to check the updates of the war, and a solemn classroom. He
notices that the area around the school is very silent.

M Hamel, the teacher in a school of the Prussia conquered states informs his students that
this was his last French lesson because of the orders from higher authorities. M Hamel does
not scold Franz that day for being late to the class and for not learning his lessons. Instead,
he starts recalling memories when he used to scold students for doing the same and how all
of them behaved in a manner that they had sufficient time to learn French. He further talks
about French being a beautiful language. M Hamel wears his special suit, the one he wears
on Sunday mornings and on special occasions only.

After entering the class, Franz notices that the last benches that were usually empty were
filled by the villagers that day. On hearing about the orders from Berlin, he realized that all
of them were there to applaud M Hamel for his dedicated forty years of faithful service, and
to feel sorry for not taking French classes and not going to school.

That day all of them did their class work and listened to M Hamel with full attention,
dedication, and devotion since they were aware of the fact that they were never going to
learn French again and M Hamel was never going to teach them again.

As the clock struck twelve and noises of Prussian soldiers were audible to them, M Hamel
with a very heavy heart wanted to bid goodbye to his classroom, his students, his French
lessons. But the tears in his eyes and heaviness in his heart choke him and force him to not
say a word.

He takes the chalk in his hand and writes on the blackboard ‘Vive La France’, which means
Long Live France’. With utter anger and grief, he asked the students to go with his hand
gesture and said that the class was dismissed.

Question-answers:
1. What was the mood in the classroom when M. Hamel gave his last French lesson?
Answer:
When M.Hamel was giving his last French ; lesson, the mood in the classroom was solemn
and sombre. When he announced that this was their last French lesson everyone present in
the classroom suddenly developed patriotic feelings for their native language and genuinely
regretted ignoring their mother tongue.
2. What had been put up on the bulletin board?
Answer:
A notice had been put up on the bulletin board informing the people about the order from
Berlin which declared that only German was to be taught in the schools of Alsace and
Lorraine. They had also been informed that the new German teacher was coming on the
following day.

3. Who did M. Hamel blame for the neglect of learning on the part of boys like Franz?
Answer:
Mr. Hamel blamed various people for different reasons for neglect of learning on the part of
boys like Franz. First he blamed the parents for not being anxious to have their children
learn and rather engaging them into household work. He blamed the boys themselves for
preferring to work on mills and farms. He also blamed himself for sending boys on errands
for his convenience.

4. Franz thinks, “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?” What does this
tell us about the attitude of the Frenchmen?
Answer:
During his last French class Franz hears the pigeons cooing and wonders if the Prussians
would make the pigeons sing in German too. His thought reveals the Frenchmen’s fear of
complete domination by the Germans whereby they would try to enslave even their minds.

5. What changes did the order from Berlin cause in the school?
Answer:
The shocking order from Berlin that only German would be taught in the schools of Alsace
and Lorraine saddened and hurt the pride of the French people. So as a gesture to express
their solidarity for their language the village elders also attended school for the last French
lesson. The usual hustle and bustle was missing from school and it was unusually quiet. M.
Hamel was also dressed in his formal suit which he wore only on special occasions.

6. How different from usual was the atmosphere at school on the day of the last lesson?
Answer:
Acquiring power over the Alsacians made the Prussians so dominating that they even
imposed their language on them. This way the Prussians intended to dominate the hearts
and minds of the Alsacians and wanted them to even think in their language and thereby
lose their complete identity. An order had been received from Berlin that only German
would be taught in schools of Alsace and Lorraine. So there was something unusual about
the school on the last day of the French lesson. The usual hustle and bustle was missing.
Everything was ‘strange and solemn’ as on a Sunday morning. The village elders were seated
on the back desks.

M.Hamel, who had been teaching French at the school for the last forty years, was wearing
his formal suit in honour of the last French lesson. While delivering the last lesson, he called
upon his students and the village elders to guard the French language among themselves
and never forget it, declaring French to be the most beautiful language in the world. Franz
developed a sudden fascination for school and the French language and a sudden respect
for M.Hamel. He wanted his teacher to stay and felt very guilty for having neglected his
French lessons as now he was being deprived of the opportunity of learning his language.

7. Our language is part of our culture and we are proud of it. Describe how regretful
M.Hamel and the village elders are for having neglected their native language, French.
Answer:
The feeling of regretfulness for having neglected their native language, French comes quite
late to M. Hamel and the village elders. They realise rather late that their language is part of
their culture and they should be proud of it. It is only after they have been deprived of
learning their language that they understand its value. The imposition of German language
made them suddenly realise the authority of their captors and they felt a loss of freedom.
So on the day of the last French lesson the village elders are seated on the back desks and
M. Hamel, who had been teaching French at the school for the last forty years, was wearing
his formal suit as a mark of respect for the last French lesson. M. Hamel expressed how they
all had a great deal to reproach themselves for as most of the people of Alsace could neither
speak nor write French. Parents preferred to put their children to work on farms or mills.

M. Hamel regretfully said how he himself sometimes sent his students to water his flowers
instead of learning their language lessons. While delivering the last lesson M. Hamel called
upon his students and the village elders to guard the French language among themselves,
declaring it to be the most beautiful language tn the world. Each one of them felt guilty for
having ignored the French lessons.