The Last Lesson (Alphonse Daudet) — NCERT Solutions

Given: The story describes Franz's situation on the morning of the last lesson.

Answer: Franz was expected to be prepared with his lesson on participles. M. Hamel had announced that he would question the students on participles that day. Franz had not learned his lesson and was afraid of being scolded by his teacher.

Given: Franz arrives at school and observes several unusual things.

Answer: Franz noticed several unusual things about the school that day:

• The school was unusually quiet, unlike the typical noise of opening and closing desks and lessons repeated in unison.
• M. Hamel was dressed in his fine Sunday clothes — his beautiful green coat, frilled shirt, and the little black silk cap he wore only on inspection and prize days.
• The village people, such as old Hauser, the former mayor, and other villagers, were sitting quietly at the back of the classroom, which was very unusual.
• The whole school had a strange, solemn atmosphere.

Given: Franz passes the bulletin-board on his way to school.

Answer: For the last two years, all the bad news — lost battles, the draft, the orders of the commanding officer — had come from the bulletin-board. That day, an order had been put up on the bulletin-board stating that in Alsace and Lorraine only German would be taught in the schools. The new German masters were to come the very next day. This was the order from Berlin that changed everything.

Given: An order from Berlin declared that only German would be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine.

Answer: The order from Berlin brought about the following changes in school that day:

• It was to be the last French lesson. M. Hamel was to leave after that day, and a new German master would arrive the next day.
• M. Hamel wore his finest Sunday clothes as a mark of respect for the occasion.
• The villagers — old Hauser, the former mayor, and others — came and sat quietly at the back of the classroom to attend the last French lesson as a tribute to the language.
• The entire atmosphere of the school was solemn and emotional. M. Hamel taught with great patience and dedication, as if wanting to give all his knowledge before leaving.
• New copybooks with 'France, Alsace' written in a beautiful round hand were distributed, and everyone worked with unusual sincerity and quiet.

Given: Franz had earlier been afraid of M. Hamel and disliked school and French lessons.

Answer: Franz's feelings underwent a complete transformation:

• Earlier, he had been afraid of M. Hamel's ruler and scolding, and he used to skip school to play. He found French grammar boring and difficult.
• But on the day of the last lesson, he felt deep regret for having wasted time and neglected his lessons. He realised how precious the French language was.
• He began to feel great admiration and sympathy for M. Hamel. He understood the teacher's pain at having to leave after forty years of devoted service.
• He felt that M. Hamel had never seemed so tall or so dignified as on that last day.
• His books, which had earlier seemed a nuisance, now felt like old friends he could not give up.
• In short, Franz moved from indifference and fear to respect, love, and a sense of loss.

Given: The story is set in Alsace-Lorraine after the Prussian conquest, when an order from Berlin bans the teaching of French.

Answer:

What shows that people realise the preciousness of their language:

• The villagers — old Hauser, the former mayor, the ex-postmaster — come to attend the last French lesson, showing their love for the language they had perhaps neglected earlier.
• Old Hauser holds his primer with trembling hands and spells out the letters with tears in his eyes.
• M. Hamel teaches with extraordinary patience and dedication, giving his best on the last day.
• Franz, who had earlier dreaded French lessons, suddenly feels deep regret for not having learned his language properly.
• M. Hamel speaks movingly about the French language, calling it the most beautiful, clearest, and most logical language in the world.
• He writes 'Vive La France!' on the blackboard as his final, passionate act.

Why this happens:
This realisation comes because people tend to take things for granted until they are about to lose them. The threat of losing their language — the very medium through which they think, feel, and express their identity — makes them suddenly aware of its immense value. Language is not merely a means of communication; it is the soul of a people's culture and identity. When it is threatened by a conqueror, it becomes a symbol of freedom and resistance.

Given: Franz hears the pigeons cooing on the roof while everyone is writing silently in the last French lesson.

Answer: This thought of Franz can be interpreted in more than one way:

(i) Irony and Absurdity: Franz is thinking ironically that the Prussian order to replace French with German is so extreme and absurd that even nature — even the pigeons — would be forced to change. It highlights the ridiculousness of trying to suppress a language by force.

(ii) The Universality of Language: The cooing of pigeons is a natural sound, like a language of its own. Franz wonders if even this natural 'language' would be replaced or suppressed. This suggests that language is as natural and instinctive as the sounds of birds — it cannot truly be taken away.

(iii) Deep Emotional Protest: The thought reflects Franz's inner anguish and silent protest against the order. He is expressing, through this image, how unnatural and cruel it is to impose a foreign language on a people.

(iv) Attachment to the Familiar: The pigeons represent the familiar, comforting world of Alsace. Franz's thought shows his fear that everything he knows and loves — even the smallest, most natural things — will be changed by the conquerors.

Answer: This statement beautifully captures the relationship between language, identity, and freedom. History offers several examples:

(i) Colonial India: The British imposed English as the medium of education and administration through Macaulay's Minute (1835). Indian languages were marginalised in official and educational spheres, yet people held on to their mother tongues, which became powerful tools of the freedom movement. Leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Mahatma Gandhi used regional languages to connect with the masses.

(ii) Ireland under British Rule: The British suppressed the Irish language (Gaelic/Irish). The Irish were forced to use English. However, the Irish held on to their language as a symbol of national identity, and after independence, Irish was made an official language of the Republic of Ireland.

(iii) Native Americans: European colonisers in America forced Native American children into boarding schools where they were forbidden to speak their native languages. This caused the loss of many indigenous languages and cultural identities.

(iv) African Nations under Colonial Rule: In many African countries, colonial powers (French, British, Portuguese) imposed their languages, suppressing local languages in education and governance.

(v) Alsace-Lorraine (as in the story): After the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71), Germany imposed German on the people of Alsace-Lorraine, banning French — exactly as depicted in the story.

In all these cases, language became a symbol of resistance and cultural survival.

Answer:

What happens to a linguistic minority:

• A linguistic minority refers to a group of people living in a region where their mother tongue is not the dominant or official language of that state.
• They often face difficulties in education, employment, and daily communication because official work is conducted in the majority language.
• Their children may gradually shift to the dominant language, leading to a slow erosion of the mother tongue.
• They may face social and cultural isolation or pressure to assimilate.
• However, the Indian Constitution (Articles 29 and 30) provides certain protections to linguistic minorities, including the right to conserve their language and establish educational institutions.

How they can keep their language alive:

1. Community schools and classes: Setting up schools or weekend classes where children are taught their mother tongue (e.g., Gujarati schools in Kolkata, Tamil schools in Mumbai).
2. Cultural organisations: Forming cultural associations that celebrate festivals, literature, music, and drama in their language.
3. Media: Publishing newspapers, magazines, and running radio/TV programmes in their language.
4. Literature and arts: Encouraging writers, poets, and artists to create in their mother tongue.
5. Speaking at home: Ensuring that the language is spoken at home so children grow up bilingual.
6. Digital platforms: Using social media, YouTube channels, and apps to promote and teach the language.

Thus, a linguistic minority can keep its language alive through conscious community effort, cultural pride, and institutional support.

Answer:

Linguistic Chauvinism:
Linguistic chauvinism refers to an extreme, aggressive pride in one's own language, combined with a belief that it is superior to all other languages, and a hostility towards speakers of other languages. It involves the imposition of one's language on others and the denigration or suppression of other languages.

Can pride in one's language go too far?
Yes, it certainly can. While it is natural and healthy to love and take pride in one's mother tongue, this pride becomes harmful when it:

• Leads to discrimination against speakers of other languages.
• Results in the imposition of one language on linguistic minorities (e.g., the 'Hindi imposition' controversy in South India).
• Creates social divisions and conflicts between communities (e.g., language riots).
• Prevents people from learning other languages, thereby limiting their opportunities and understanding.
• Is used as a political tool to divide people on linguistic lines.

Examples:

• The anti-Hindi agitations in Tamil Nadu (1937, 1965) were partly a reaction to perceived linguistic chauvinism.
• In Sri Lanka, making Sinhala the only official language marginalised Tamil speakers and contributed to decades of ethnic conflict.

Conclusion: Pride in one's language is a positive sentiment that preserves culture and identity. However, when it becomes chauvinism — aggressive, exclusive, and intolerant — it causes division and injustice. A balanced approach values one's own language while respecting all others.

Answer: The origins of the given words are as follows: