PUSHPALATA VIDYA MANDIR

CLASS XII – ENGLISH NOTES – FLAMINGO: LESSON 1 – THE LAST LESSON

Short Answers:
1. What was Franz expected to be prepared with for school that day?
That day Franz was expected to be prepared with participles because M. Hamel
had said that he would question them on participles. Franz did not know anything
about participles.

2. What did Franz notice that was unusual about the school that day?
Usually, when school began, there was a great bustle, which could be heard out
in the street. But it was all very still that day. Everything was as quiet as Sunday
morning. There was no opening or closing of desks. His classmates were already
in their places. The teacher’s great ruler instead of rapping on the table, was
under M. Hamel’s arm.

3. What had been put up on the bulletin-board?

For the last two years all the bad news had come from the bulletin-board. This
time, it is an order from Berlin to teach only German in the schools of Alsace and
Lorraine. The Germans had put up this notice on the bulletin-board.

4. What changes did the order from Berlin cause in school that day?
M. Hamel had put on his best dress - his beautiful green coat, his frilled shirt and
the little black silk cap, all embroidered. The whole school seemed so strange and
solemn. On the back benches that were always empty, the elderly village people
were sitting quietly like the children. Even the children were very quiet that day.

5. How did Franz’s feelings about M. Hamel and school change?

Franz came to know that it was the last lesson in French that M. Hamel would
give them. From the next day, they will be taught only German. Then he felt
sorry for not learning his lessons properly. His books, which seemed a nuisance
and a burden earlier were now his old friends. His feelings about M. Hamel also
changed. He forgot all about his ruler and how cranky he was.

6. The people in this story suddenly realise how precious their language is to them.
What shows you this? Why does this happen?
M. Hamel told the students and villagers that henceforth only German would be
taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. Those who called themselves
Frenchmen would neither be able to speak nor write it. He praised French as the
most beautiful, the clearest and the most logical language in the world. He said
that for the enslaved people, their language was the key to their prison. Then
the people realised how precious their language was to them. This shows people’s
love for their own culture, traditions and country. Pride in one’s language reflects
pride in the motherland.

7. Franz thinks, “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?” What
could this mean?
This comment of Franz shows a Frenchman’s typical reaction to the imposition
of learning German, the language of the conquerors. Being deprived of the
learning the mother tongue would mean cutting off all bonds with the
motherland. Teaching the pigeons to sing in German indicates how far the
Germans would go in their attempts of linguistic chauvinism.

8. “When a people are enslaved, as long as they hold fast to their language it is as if
they had the key to their prison.” Can you think of examples in history where a
conquered people had their language taken away from them or had a language
imposed on them?
Mother tongue helps a person to express his feelings and thoughts most lucidly
and intimately. Conquerors try to subdue and control the people of the enslaved
territory by enforcing many measures such as use of force to crush dissent and
imposing their own language on them. From time immemorial, the victorious
nations have imposed their own language on the conquered people and taken
away their own language from them. The Romans conquered many parts of
Europe and replaced the local languages by their own language - Latin. Later on,
Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and French developed from Latin. The Muslim
invaders imposed Arabic and Persian in the countries of Asia over-powered by
them. In many Arab countries the local religion and language have disappeared.
In India, a new language Urdu developed from the mixture of Persian and Hindi.

9. What happens to a linguistic minority in a state? How do you think they can keep
their language alive? For example: Punjabis in Bangalore, Tamilians in Mumbai,
Kannadigas in Delhi, Gujaratis in Kolkata.
The linguistic minority in any state is easily marked and faces the same
discrimination as the religious, social or ethnic minorities. There is, however, a
pronounced difference in the treatment meted out and the level of acceptance
displayed by the majority community in that region/city. Some cities like Delhi,
Mumbai are cosmopolitan in outlook. The linguistic minority tries to preserve its
identity through an intimate contact, interaction and preservation of their
language in social get-togethers, family functions and festivals of their own
region. Adherence to social customs and traditions in family gatherings/group
meetings of women also promote the unity between members of the linguistic
minority. In short, they create a mini-Punjab in Bangalore, mini-Chennai in
Mumbai, mini-Bangalore in Delhi and mini-Surat in Kolkata.

10. Is it possible to carry pride in one’s language too far? Do you know what
‘linguistic chauvinism’ means?
‘Linguistic chauvinism’ means an aggressive and unreasonable belief that your
own language is better than all others. This shows an excessive or prejudiced
support for one’s own language. Sometimes, pride in one’s own language goes
too far and the linguistic enthusiasts can be easily identified by their extreme
zeal for the preservation and spread of their language. In their enthusiasm, love
and support for their own language, they tend to forget that other languages too
have their own merits, long history of art, culture and literature behind them.
Instead of bringing unity and winning over others as friends, having excessive
pride in one’s own language, creates ill-will and disintegration. The stiff-
resistance to the acceptance of Hindi as national language by the southern states
of India is a direct outcome of the fear of being dominated by Hindi enthusiasts.
The result is that ‘One India’ remains only a slogan.
11. What tempted Franz to stay away from school?
Franz feared a scolding at school as he had not prepared the lesson on participles,
on which his French teacher M Hamel was to question the class that day. Besides,
the warm and bright weather, the chirping of birds and the drill of Prussian
soldiers also tempted Franz to stay away from school.

12. What was unusual about M Hamel’s dress on his last day in the school?
M Hamel had put on his ceremonial clothes on his last day in school. He wore a
beautiful green coat, a frilled shirt, and a little black embroidered silk cap. This
was a special ceremonial attire which he usually wore on days of inspection and
prize distribution.

13. Why is the order from Berlin called a thunderclap by Franz?

OR
“What a thunderclap these words were to me!” What were the words that
shocked and surprised the narrator?
M Hamel told his students that it was their last French lesson, as an order had
come from Berlin that henceforth only German was to be taught in the schools
of Alsace and Lorraine. This announcement seemed to be a thunderclap to Franz.
He was left in surprise and shock to learn that a new master was going to arrive
the next day and they would learn German instead of their mother tongue.

14. Who were sitting on the back benches during M Hamel’s last lesson? Why?
OR
Why had the villagers come to school on the day of the last lesson?
OR
Why were the elders of the village sitting in the classroom?
Some of the elderly people from the village were sitting on the back benches
during M Hamel’s last lesson. The villagers had come there to attend his last
lesson as it was their way of paying respect to the master, who had given forty
years of his faithful service to the school.

15. Why does M Hamel reproach himself for his students’ unsatisfactory progress in
studies?
M Hamel had been rather irregular as a teacher. He took leave whenever he
wanted to. Besides, he had often sent the students to water his plants, and
whenever he wanted to go fishing, he had just given them a holiday. So, he
reproaches himself for his students’ unsatisfactory progress in studies.

16. What shows M Hamel’s love for the French language?

OR
What did M Hamel tell them about the French language? What did he ask them
to do and why?
In his last lesson, M Hamel told the students that the French was the most
beautiful language in the world - the clearest and the most logical. He asked
them to guard it amongst themselves and never forget it, because when a people
were enslaved, as long as they held fast to their language, it was as if they had
the key to their prison.

17. What words did M Hamel write on the blackboard before dismissing the last
class? What did they mean?
Before dismissing the last class, M Hamel turned to the blackboard, and wrote
the phrase, ‘Vive La France!’ as large as he could. These words meant ‘Long live
France’, and spoke of M Hamel’s great love for his country and his deep sense of
patriotism.

18. What made M Hamel cry towards the end of his last lesson?
M Hamel had taught French at this school in Alsace for the last forty years. He
was emotionally attached to the school and everything in and about it. He was
really heartbroken to leave it all. Besides, his own predicament reminded him
that his country would soon lose its independence. All this made him cry towards
the end of his last lesson.

19. How did Franz react to the declaration that it was their last French lesson?
OR
What announcement did M Hamel make? How did this impact Franz?
OR
‘‘This is your last French lesson.” How did Franz react to M Hamel’s declaration?
OR
What changes came over little Franz after he heard M Hamel’s announcement?
OR
What did the French teacher tell his students in his last French lesson? What
impact did it have on them?
The French teacher, M Hamel announced that he would be teaching his last French
lesson that day because the orders had come from Berlin to teach only German
in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. On hearing this, all the students as well as
Franz felt very sorry that they would not be learning their mother tongue in
future. Franz regretted not having learnt his lessons. Earlier, his books seemed
a nuisance to him, but at that moment they became very dear to him.

20. What was the order from Berlin and what changes did it cause in the school?
OR
What changes did the order from Berlin cause in the school?
OR
What was the mood in the classroom when M Hamel gave his last French lesson?
The order from Berlin stated that only German will be taught in the schools of
Alsace and Lorraine. The order effected many changes, as an unusual silence
prevailed in the school, compared to the hustle and bustle earlier. M Hamel
became gentle while speaking to the students, while the people realised the
importance of their language. Even the villagers attended the school to show
their respect to M Hamel.

21. How did M Hamel bid farewell to his students and the people of the town?
At the end of his ‘Last Lesson’, M Hamel stood up to bid farewell to his students
and the people of the town. He tried to speak, but his overwhelming emotion
choked him. He then wrote as large as he could on the blackboard ‘Vive La France’;
then dismissed the class with a gesture of his hand.

22. What was Franz expected to be prepared with for the school that day?
Franz was expected to be prepared with participles that day. His teacher M
Hamel, was to question him on the topic. Franz had not learnt his lessons and
was afraid of being scolded by the teacher.
23. Who did M Hamel blame for the neglect of learning on the part of boys like Franz?
M Hamel blamed himself for the neglect of learning on the part of boys like Franz.
He himself was not quite regular and took leave whenever he needed it, which
reflected on the behaviour and studies of the students. He also blamed their
parents for not taking interest in their education.

24. Franz thinks, “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?” What
does this tell us about the attitude of the Frenchmen?
The Frenchmen were full of hatred and desperation against the Germans. Besides,
they were afraid of the German atrocities. They thought that they would be
compelled to read German and no one will be spared.

25. Mention two things about M Hamel that surprised Franz on his last day at school.
M Hamel didn’t scold Franz for being late; instead, he told him very kindly to go
to his place. The village elders had occupied the last seats, usually empty. Also,
that day he was dressed in his best clothes; he was in his beautiful green coat,
frilled shirt and little black silk cap with embroidery, which he wore only on
inspection or prize days.

26. How was the scene in the school on the morning of the last lesson different from
that on other days?
On normal days, there used to be great hustle and bustle when the school began.
The din of opening and closing of the desks, lessons being repeated in unison and
the rapping of the teacher’s ruler on the table, could be heard out in the street.
But that day, it was all very quiet and still as on a Sunday morning.

Long Answer Type Question (6 Marks, 120-150 words)

1. What changes did the narrator find in the school when the order from Berlin came?
The order from Berlin prohibited teaching of French in the schools of Alsace and
Lorraine. Instead, German was to be taught in the schools. Franz was late for
school that day. He noticed that the hustle and bustle was missing. There was
no opening and closing of desks, no repetition of lessons or rapping of the
teacher’s ruler on the table could be heard. It was all very quiet and still.

Franz was further surprised because, instead of meeting an angry teacher, he was
welcomed by a kind and polite teacher, who was dressed in his best clothes, a
beautiful green coat, frilled shirt and an embroidered silk cap, which he wore only
on inspection and prize days. The back benches were occupied by the village
people who never came to school, as they were more concerned about their
livelihood. He was further astounded to know that M Hamel was going to teach
his last lesson that day.

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CHECKED BY
MS. BLISS BERNARD