Lesson 4 The Last Lesson Part 3 Date : 12th April 2020
Dear students
In the continuation of the first two session, let’s have the next session
“My children, this is the last lesson I shall give you. The order has come from Berlin to teach only German in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. The new master comes tomorrow. This is your last French lesson. I want you to be very attentive.”
This is a terrible shock to Franz. He regrets at not having taken his French lessons seriously, choosing instead to peek at the birds’ nest and go sliding on the Saar desert. This is to be his last lesson and he doesn’t even know how to write. He also feels sad for M. Hamel, a man who had given forty years of service to the place and who was being told to leave it forever. He understands the regret of the village folks at not having taken their language seriously either. The recitation of lessons begin and M. Hamel calls little Franz to recite the rules of participle. To his great embarrassment, he fumbles and is completely lost. The teacher doesn’t scold Franz but reveals the sad truth:
“Every day we have said to ourselves, ‘Bah! I’ve plenty of time. I’ll learn it tomorrow.’ And now you see where we’ve come out. Ah, that’s the great trouble with Alsace; she puts off learning till tomorrow.”
Hamel says that in part, it is Franz’ parents and himself who are to blame. He then goes on to describe the beauty of the French language, stating that it is the most beautiful, most logical language in the world and that the people must always be able to guard the language and never forget it. What follows next is one of the most memorable lines of the story :
…because when a people are enslaved, as long as they hold fast to their language itis as if they had the key to their prison.
He then begins the grammar lesson. Franz understands it all. It seems that earlier, he hadn’t listened so carefully and M. Hamel hadn’t taught as patiently as he did in his last lesson. The grammar is followed by the writing lesson. Everybody gets down writing and the class is filled with a pin drop silence. Once, some beetles fly in but nobody pays attention to them, not even the little kids. The cooing of the pigeons on the roof makes Franz wonder whether the Germans will make the birds sing in German as well.
When Franz looks up, he sees M. Hamel scanning the entire class as if to imprint the scene in his memory. The writing lesson is followed by the babies’ chanting their ba, be, bi, bu etc. Even Old Hauser joins their recital with tears in his eyes.
Then, the clock strikes twelve. At the same time, the Prussians sound the trumpet and M. Hamel
freezes. He tries to say something but is overwhelmed with emotion:
“My friends,” said he, “I—I—” But something choked him. He could not go on. He stops and starts scribbling on the blackboard with large letters:
Vive La France
Key points to Remember
1. Inability to recite participle - Franz got badly embarrassed.
2. Hamel didn’t scold - instead made him realised of irreparable, irrevocable loss
3. M. Hamel blamed all - students, parents, villagers and himelf too.
4. M Hamel stated - French - most beautiful, clearest and most logical language.
5. Language - key to prison, protect it.
6. Unforgettable Lessons - Most attentive & Comprehensive
7. New copies with beautiful rounded handwriting - France, Alsace, France, Alsace
8. “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?”
- Sharp Criticism on Linguistic Chauvinism & Impossibility of its objectives
9. M. Hamel, Broken heart, Expelled from his country, 40 years service to Nation.
10. Church Clock struck twelve - Angelus Prayer Vs Trumpets of Prussian Soldier
11. “Vive La France” - Long Live France
M. A. Ghonshetwad
PGT English, JNV Yavatmal
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