Title Analysis of the Lesson The Last Lesson

Procrastination is an evil that corrodes golden opportunities sent in our way as delaying our works is
an inherent flaw in our outlook towards life. The story revolves around the last lesson taught by M.
Hamel as now French would no longer be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. If we take our
life for granted and fail to be grateful for it, chances are that we will lose it in times to come. This is
exactly what happened with the people of Alsace and Lorraine. They lost their chance to be close to
their mother tomngue as they had never bothered to learn their language and it was a matter of
shame that being Frenchmen, they were unable to read or write French. Hence the title ‘The Last
Lesson’ is apt as it teaches the people of Alsace and Lorraine and the readers as well that lessons of
life must be learnt well in time lest life should take away the opportunity.

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Setting of the Lesson The Last Lesson

The story is set in a French village in Alsace district of France, with the backdrop of the Franco-
Prussian war in which France was defeated by Prussia (then consisting of Germany, Poland and parts
of Austria). The Prussian rulers order that French will no longer be taught in the schools of Alsace
and Lorraine. The story tells how M.Hamel, a school teacher in Alsace, his students and the towns
people react to this news. There is an atmosphere of hopelessness and regret in the classroom. For
the first time the defeated French people in the village realize their mistake in not learning their own
language. The setting is appropriate, as the story relates to a bygone era of French defeat in the
hands of the Prussians.

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Narrative Style of Lesson The Last Lesson

The story ‘The Last Lesson’ has a first person narrative. The speaker is a little boy named Franz, a
resident of Alsace-Lorraine district of France that has been occupied by the Prussians.

The tone is serious and biased. The author feels biased about the government and the war
compelling everyone to speak German. The oppressors and conquerors become heartless and
enforce their own views on the defeated. This is clear from the story when the order from Berlin
comes that French will no longer by taught in Alsace and Lorraine.
The author has used many literary devices of irony, metaphors, similes and symbols to make the
narration and them clear and effective. He uses irony, to highlight the human tendency that there is
a plenty of time to do things. Hence, we keep on postponing the lessons of life, forgetting that life is
subject to change. Learning of French by the people has never been a serious affair with them. But
the sudden order to stop teaching French comes as a sudden blow and sad realisation to the people.

The author has also used other devices like metaphors, similes and symbols. ‘What a thunderclap’ is
a metaphor for the sudden order from Berlin. Mother tongue ‘as if a key to their prison’ is a simile,
the key to regain freedom from their prison.

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Theme of the Lesson

The importance of language and its connection with nationalism are the central themes of the
chapter “The Last Lesson.” The protagonist of the narrative is a little kid, Franz, whose teacher, M
Hamel is compelled to flee his native town in France’s Alsace region because German settlers are
annexing it and making German its official language. Now the mother tongue, French will not longer
be taught in the schools of Frech districts of Alsace and Lorraine. Even though it is obvious that his
students won’t be able to speak French in the future, the narrator’s French teacher, Monsieur
Hamel, is determined to give them one more lesson in the language. The teacher emphasizes that
language is an integral element of one’s identity and culture and that its suppression constitutes an
act of oppression, as done by the enemy country. The French villagers reaize that they have been
overpowered by the enemy soldiers because they did not value their country and their mother
tongue.

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The Last Lesson Video Explanation Part 1

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The Last Lesson Explanation

Passage: I started for school very late that morning and was in great dread of a scolding, especially
because M. Hamel had said that he would question us on participles, and I did not know the first
word about them.

Word Meaning: in great dread of: fear of

Explanation of the above passage: The narrator of the story is a young school-going boy named
Franz. That morning, he was scared as he was late for school. Also, as their teacher M. Hamel had
announced the previous day that he would test them on the topic of ‘Participles’ and Franz did not
know anything at all, he was more scared of being scolded.

Passage: For a moment I thought of running away and spending the day out of doors. It was so
warm, so bright! The birds were chirping at the edge of the woods; and in the open field back of the
sawmill the Prussian soldiers were drilling.

Word Meaning:

Sawmill: a factory for cutting wood

Drilling: exercising

Explanation of the above passage: Franz had another option in his mind – to miss school and enjoy
the day out in the warm and bright weather. He describes the scene – there were birds chirping on
the trees and the noise of the Prussian soldiers doing the drill behind the sawmill could also be
heard.

Passage: It was all much more tempting than the rule for participles, but I had the strength to resist,
and hurried off to school.

Word Meaning:

Tempting: attracting

Resist: to stay away

Explanation of the above passage:The scene outside was more attractive than the school but Franz
controlled the temptation and chose to attend school.

Passage: When I passed the town hall there was a crowd in front of the bulletin board. For the last
two years all our bad news had come from there — the lost battles, the draft, the orders of the
commanding officer — and I thought to myself, without stopping, “What can be the matter now?”

Word Meaning :

bulletin-board: a notice board for putting up the latest news and communication

Explanation of the above passage: As Franz walked past the town hall, he noticed a huge crowd at
the notice board. The war with Prussia had begun two and a half years ago and since then all the bad
news like losing the war, occupation of Alsace and Lorraine by the enemy i.e. Prussia, etc had been
communicated to the people through this bulletin board. Franz kept on walking towards the school
and thought in his mind that what news could have been put up at the board now.

Passage: Then, as I hurried by as fast as I could go, the blacksmith, Wachter, who was there, with his
apprentice, reading the bulletin, called after me, “Don’t go so fast, bub; you’ll get to your school in
plenty of time!”

I thought he was making fun of me, and reached M. Hamel’s little garden all out of breath.

Word Meaning: Apprentice: trainee

Explanation of the above passage: As he walked hurriedly towards the school, the blacksmith who
was also reading the news and had come along with his trainee called out to Franz from behind and
said that he needn’t go in such a hurry as there was plenty of time for him to reach school.

Franz thought that the blacksmith was making fun of him as he was already late for school. When
Franz reached the garden outside the school, he was out of breath as he had walked very fast.

Passage:

Usually, when school began, there was a great bustle, which could be heard out in the street, the
opening and closing of desks, lessons repeated in unison, very loud, with our hands over our ears to
understand better, and the teacher’s great ruler rapping on the table.

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Word Meaning :
a great bustle: a lot of noise created by many people

in unison: at the same time

rapping: striking

Explanation of the above passage:Franz describes the usual scene at the school in the mornings – a
lot of noise created by the moving of desks, children repeating their lessons and teachers striking the
tables with the rulers could be heard.

Passage: But now it was all so still! I had counted on the commotion to get to my desk without being
seen; but, of course, that day everything had to be as quiet as Sunday morning.

Word Meaning :

counted on: depended upon

commotion: noise and confusion

Explanation of the above passage:That day was unusual as there was no such sound coming out of
the school and it seemed that the school was closed as it used to be on a Sunday morning. Franz had
planned that he would take cover under the commotion and reach the class without being noticed
but that did not seem possible.

Passage:Through the window, I saw my classmates, already in their places, and M. Hamel walking up
and down with his terrible iron ruler under his arm.

Explanation of the above passage:Franz peeped inside his class and saw his classmates seated and
M. Hamel, their teacher walking in the class with the ruler made of iron placed under his arm. Franz
feared a beating.

Passage:I had to open the door and go in before everybody. You can imagine how I blushed and how
frightened I was.
Word Meaning :

Blushed: face turned red in colour due to shame

Explanation of the above passage:Franz was ashamed of being late and feared a scolding as he had
to enter the classroom in front of everyone.

Passage:But nothing happened. M. Hamel saw me and said very kindly, “Go to your place quickly,
little Franz. We were beginning without you.”

Explanation of the above passage:Franz found it strange as M. Hamel did not say anything and on
the contrary, politely asked him to get to his seat,as the class was about to begin without him.

Passage:I jumped over the bench and sat down at my desk. Not till then, when I had got a little over
my fright, did I see that our teacher had on his beautiful green coat, his frilled shirt, and the little
black silk cap, all embroidered, that he never wore except on inspection and prize days.

Explanation of the above passage:Franz hurried to his seat. After some time when he overcame the
scare and became comfortable, he noticed that their teacher had worn his best embroidered that
day. The teacher normally wore it on occasions like inspection and prize distribution days. Franz
wondered if that day was a normal day, then what could be the reason for M. Hamel to wear his
special dress.

Explanation of the above passage: Besides, the whole school seemed so strange and solemn. But the
thing that surprised me most was to see, on the back benches that were always empty, the village
people sitting quietly like ourselves; old Hauser, with his three-cornered hat, the former mayor, the
former postmaster, and several others besides.

Word Meaning: Solemn: serious.

Passage:Franz felt that the atmosphere in the school was unusual and serious. To add to it, the last
benches of the classroom were occupied by the senior village men – Hauser, who was wearing his
three-cornered hat, the retired mayor, postmaster, etc.

Passage:Everybody looked sad; and Hauser had brought an old primer, thumbed at the edges, and
he held it open on his knees with his great spectacles lying across the pages.

Word Meaning:

Primer: basic reader of any language

Thumbed: torn and damaged

Explanation of the above passage:They all looked sad. Hauser had brought his reader which was old
and torn. He had opened it, kept it on his knees and had placed his spectacles on it.

Passage:While I was wondering about it all, M. Hamel mounted his chair, and, in the same grave and
gentle tone which he had used to me, said, “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.”

Word Meaning :

Grave: serious

Explanation of the above passage:Franz was confused and could not figure out what was happening
that day. Just then M. Hamel told them that it was their last lesson in French as the Prussians in
Berlin had ordered that French language would no longer be taught in the schools of Alsace and
Lorraine and that German language be taught instead. The German teacher would arrive the next
day and as this was the last lesson in French, he wanted them to pay attention.

Passage:What a thunderclap these words were to me! Oh, the wretches; that was what they had put
up at the town-hall!
Word Meaning :

Thunderclap: used in comparison to refer to something startling or unexpected

Wretches: here, it refers to an unfortunate happening

Explanation of the above passage:Franz was shocked to know that he could not learn French any
longer and now he knew the latest news that had been put up at the bulletin board of the town hall.

Passage:My last French lesson! Why, I hardly knew how to write! I should never learn any more! I
must stop there, then! Oh, how sorry I was for not learning my lessons, for seeking birds’ eggs, or
going sliding on the Saar!

Word Meaning :

Saar: a river which passes through France

Explanation of the above passage:Franz regretted for not being serious towards studies and for
wasting his time in hunting bird’s eggs and playing in the Saar river.

Passage:My books, that had seemed such a nuisance a while ago, so heavy to carry, my grammar,
and my history of the saints, were old friends now that I couldn’t give up.

Word Meaning :

Nuisance: problem, burden

couldn’t give up: cannot leave

Explanation of the above passage:Till now Franz considered his books to be an unwanted burden but
suddenly, he starts considering them to be his best friends whom he could never leave. The writer
wants to show the change in Franz’s attitude towards study after hearing the news that he could not
learn French any longer.

Passage:And M. Hamel, too; the idea that he was going away, that I should never see him again,
made me forget all about his ruler and how cranky he was.

Word Meaning :

Cranky: strange, short – tempered

Explanation of the above passage:The news that their teacher M Hamel was leaving also had a
similar impact on him. Franz did not want him to go away. He no longer thought the teacher to be
short–tempered and strict.

Passage:Poor man! It was in honour of this last lesson that he had put on his fine Sunday clothes,
and now I understood why the old men of the village were sitting there in the back of the room.

Word Meaning :

Sunday clothes: the best dress that a person has.

Explanation of the above passage:Now Franz knew that M Hamel was wearing his best dress in
honour of this last lesson. He also realized that the village men had come to pay respect and thank
M Hamel for his service of forty years in that school.

Passage:It was because they were sorry, too, that they had not gone to school more. It was their way
of thanking our master for his forty years of faithful service and of showing their respect for the
country that was theirs no more.
Explanation of the above passage:The village men had come to the class as they were also repenting
for not have studied well in their childhood. They had come to thank their teacher for his forty years
of service as a teacher of French. Also, they wanted to show respect to their country and were sad as
their mother tongue – French would no longer be taught to them.

Passage:While I was thinking of all this, I heard my name called.

Explanation of the above passage:The teacher calls out to Franz as it his turn to recite the topic of
participles.

Passage:It was my turn to recite. What would I not have given to be able to say that dreadful rule for
the participle all through, very loud and clear, and without one mistake?

Word Meaning :

Dreadful: frightening

Explanation of the above passage:As the news had impacted Franz, he was eager to study and so, he
was desperate to show his eagerness. He wanted to be able to recite the topic in one go and without
any mistake and please his teacher. His desperation is reflected in his willingness to give away all
that he had in return for reciting the lesson well.

Passage:But I got mixed upon the first words and stood there, holding on to my desk, my heart
beating, and not daring to look up.

Word Meaning :

mixed up: confused

Explanation of the above passage:As Franz did not know the lesson, he got confused and stood
quietly. His heart was beating fast as he was ashamed of himself and did not have the courage to
face his teacher.
Passage:I heard M. Hamel say to me, “I won’t scold you, little Franz; you must feel bad enough. See
how it is! 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.

Word Meaning :

where we’ve come out: result

Explanation of the above passage:M. Hamel said to Franz that he would not scold him as now he had
realized his mistake. Everyday Franz told himself that he would study the next day and now the
opportunity to study had ended and he knew nothing.

Passage:Ah, that’s the great trouble with Alsace; she puts off learning till tomorrow. Now those
fellows out there will have the right to say to you, ‘How is it; you pretend to be Frenchmen, and yet
you can neither speak nor write your own language?’ But you are not the worst, poor little Franz.
We’ve all a great deal to reproach ourselves with.”

Word Meaning :

Pretend: show

to reproach: blame

Explanation of the above passage:M Hamel says that all the people of Alsace were to be blamed as
no one was serious towards learning. He tells the class that the enemies (Prussians) would laugh at
them and say that they only show to be Frenchmen as they

can neither speak nor write their own language. He says that Franz should not feel guilty as everyone
is at fault.

Passage:“Your parents were not anxious enough to have you learn. They preferred to put you to
work on a farm or at the mills, so as to have a little more money. And I? I’ve been to blame also.
Have I not often sent you to water my flowers instead of learning your lessons? And when I wanted
to go fishing, did I not just give you a holiday?”
Explanation of the above passage:M. Hamel says that Franz’s parents were not interested in getting
him educated. They wanted him to work at a farm or a mill and earn some money. He says that as a
teacher, he was also not interested in teaching them. He would send them to his home to water the
plants. Sometimes, he would declare a holiday and go for fishing.

Passage: Then, from one thing to another, M. Hamel went on to talk of the French language, saying
that it was the most beautiful language in the world — the clearest, the most logical; that we must
guard it among us and never forget it, because 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.

Explanation of the above passage:M. Hamel praises their mother tongue – French language as being
the most beautiful, clearest and most logical language in the world. He tells the class to guard their
language as it is the only way to free oneself from the prison of slavery. If a person knows his mother
tongue well, no one can enslave him. Knowing the mother tongue well as a language is a tool to fight
domination.

Passage:Then he opened a grammar and read us our lesson. I was amazed to see how well I
understood it. All he said seemed so easy, so easy! I think, too, that I had never listened so carefully,
and that he had never explained everything with so much patience.

It seemed almost as if the poor man wanted to give us all he knew before going away, and to put it
all into our heads at one stroke.

Word Meaning :

at one stroke: at once, in one go.

Explanation of the above passage:The teacher took a lesson in grammar. That day Franz was
surprised that he understood the lesson with ease. He felt that he had been attentive and that M.
Hamel also explained the lesson with a lot of patience. Franz felt that the teacher wanted to give
them all the knowledge he had before leaving.
Passage:After the grammar, we had a lesson in writing. That day M. Hamel had new copies for us,
written in a beautiful round hand — France, Alsace, France, Alsace.

Explanation of the above passage:After Grammar, they had a lesson in writing. M. Hamel gave the
class new notebooks with “France, Alsace, France, Alsace” beautifully written on them.

Passage:They looked like little flags floating everywhere in the school-room, hung from the rod at
the top of our desks. You ought to have seen how everyone set to work, and how quiet it was! The
only sound was the scratching of the pens over the paper.

Explanation of the above passage:Franz felt that here was an air of patriotism in the class. The
notebooks were like flags of France that were floating all around. The entire class was busy writing
and the only sound that could be heard was that of the pen writing on the paper.

Passage:Once some beetles flew in; but nobody paid any attention to them, not even the littlest
ones, who worked right on tracing their fish-hooks, as if that was French, too.

Word Meaning :

beetles: a large-sized insect

not even the littlest ones: refers to the pigeons

who worked right on tracing their fish-hooks: scratching with their claws.

Explanation of the above passage:Once some mosquitoes flew into the class, but no one panicked as
everyone was busy writing. The writer considers the pigeons sitting on the roof of the class to be
students as well and says that even the pigeons were busy scratching the roof with their claws and it
seemed that they were also busy writing the task of French language.

Passage:On the roof the pigeons cooed very low, and I thought to myself, “Will they make them sing
in German , even the pigeons?”
Word Meaning :

Cooed: the sound made by the pigeons

Explanation of the above passage:The ‘coo’ sound of the pigeons could be heard in the class and
Franz wondered that would the Prussians force the pigeons also to change their language and coo in
German. The writer wants to say that language comes naturally to a being and it cannot be forced
upon anyone – be it the pigeons or the French men.

Passage:Whenever I looked up from my writing I saw M. Hamel sitting motionless in his chair and
gazing first at one thing, then at another, as if he wanted to fix in his mind just how everything
looked in that little school-room.

Word Meaning :

Gazing: looking intently

fix in his mind: store or keep forever

Explanation of the above passage:In between writing, Franz looked at M. Hamel who sat still and
stared at the different things in the classroom in succession as if he wanted to memorize the
appearance of everything before leaving.

Passage:Fancy! For forty years he had been there in the same place, with his garden outside the
window and his class in front of him, just like that.

Only the desks and benches had been worn smooth; the walnut-trees in the garden were taller, and
the hopvine that he had planted himself twined about the windows to the roof.

Word Meaning :
worn smooth: had worn out and became smooth due to overuse

twined: twisted

Explanation of the above passage:M. Hamel had been teaching at that same place for the last forty
years. The only changes were that the desks in the classroom had worn out due to use over the
years, the walnut trees in the garden outside had grown taller, the hopvine on the outer wall of the
school building had climbed up to the roof.

Passage:How it must have broken his heart to leave it all, poor man; to hear his sister moving about
in the room above, packing their trunks! For they must leave the country next day.

Explanation of the above passage:Franz feels that the teacher must be heartbroken to be sent away
from a place where he had spent forty years of his life. The noises of his sister packing and moving
their luggage could be heard from the room upstairs as they had to leave the next day.

Passage:But he had the courage to hear every lesson to the very last. After the writing, we had a
lesson in history, and then the babies chanted their ba, be bi, bo, bu.

Explanation of the above passage:M. Hamel remained composed and heard the lesson from the
entire class. After the writing task, there was a lesson of history followed by phonetics where they
recited the sounds of alphabets. Franz referred to the class as “babies” because although they were
grown up, they were reciting the lesson of phonetics which is usually done by younger children. So,
he calls himself and his class to be ‘babies’.

Passage:Down there at the back of the room old Hauser had put on his spectacles and, holding his
primer in both hands, spelled the letters with them.

You could see that he, too, was crying; his voice trembled with emotion, and it was so funny to hear
him that we all wanted to laugh and cry. Ah, how well I remember it, that last lesson!
Explanation of the above passage:Hauser had put on his spectacles and holding the primer in both
his hands, recited the letters with the class. He was crying, his voice trembled as he spoke. Franz had
mixed feelings – he found it funny to see how an old man like Hauser was crying and trembling and
on the other hand, he also felt emotional like Hauser did. Franz could never forget this last lesson.

Passage:All at once the church-clock struck twelve. Then the Angelus.

Word Meaning :

Angelus: prayer song in the church, the start is marked by the ringing of the bell.

Explanation of the above passage:Just then the clock at the church struck twelve and the prayer song
begun.

Passage:At the same moment the trumpets of the Prussians, returning from drill,

sounded under our windows. M. Hamel stood up, very pale, in his chair. I never saw him look so tall.

Word Meaning :

Trumpets: a musical instrument.

Pale: used to describe a person’s face or skin if it has less colour than usual

Explanation of the above passage:At the same moment, the sound of the trumpets played by the
Prussian soldiers who were returning from the drill was heard. M. Hamel’s face became dull and
colourless as the time had come for the class to get over. He stood straight and motionless and Franz
says that he had never appeared to be so tall.
Passage:“My friends,” said he, “I—I—” But something choked him. He could not go on. Then he
turned to the blackboard, took a piece of chalk, and, bearing on with all his might, he wrote as large
as he could — “Vive La France!”

Word Meaning :

Choked: became unable to speak due to strong emotions

Explanation of the above passage:M. Hamel began to speak but could not continue as he was
overpowered by his emotions. He took a piece of chalk and wrote the words “Vive La France”
meaning ‘Long Live France’ on the blackboard as large as he could.

Passage:Then he stopped and leaned his head against the wall, and, without a word, he made a
gesture to us with his hand — “School is dismissed — you may go.”

Word Meaning :

Gesture: a signal

Explanation of the above passage:Then he stopped writing, bent towards the wall and without
speaking anything signalled the class to leave as the class was over.