Discuss the last moment in the class on the last day of the French lesson (based on the chapter "The Last Lesson" CBSE English Class 12)?
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The Last Lesson Summary, Explanation, Difficult Words - Class 12 English
By Ruchika Gupta
CBSE Class 12 English Chapter 1 - The Last Lesson Summary, Explanation, Question Answers
CBSE Class 12 English Chapter 1 The Last Lesson Summary and detailed explanation of the story along with meanings of difficult words. Also, theSummary is followed by explanation of the lesson. All the exercises and Question and Answers given at the back of the lesson, CBSE board questions have also been solved.
About the author
Alphonse Daudet
Born in 1840 in France
Died in 1897
Alphonse Daudet was a French novelist and short-story writer.
Formerly, a schoolteacher, he quit it to make a living as a journalist in Paris. He took to writing, his poems collected into a volume called “Les Amoureuses”.
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The Last Lesson Summary
Given below is the Summary of the lesson - "The Last Lesson". This summary is followed by a detailed explanation and Question and Answers
The story is narrated by a French boy, Franz. He is lazy but sensitive and likes to play. He dislikes studying French and hates his teacher M. Hamel.
After overpowering their districts of Alsace and Lorraine in France, Berlin has ordered that German language instead of French be taught in the schools there.
It is the last day of their French teacher M. Hamel, who has been there for forty years. He is full of grief, nostalgia and patriotism. As a mark of respect to his hard work, the village men also attend his ‘last lesson’. They are sad as they did not learn their mother tongue, French in their childhood.
Franz is shocked to know that it’s his last lesson, as he does not know French. Now, suddenly, he gets interested in learning it and understands everything taught on that day!
He develops an instant liking for the teacher, M. Hamel and respects him for his sincerity and hard work.
He feels sad at departing from him and is ashamed for not being able to recite the lesson of participles.
M. Hamel tells them that they all are at fault for not being eager enough to learn, putting it off to the next day. He blames himself for not teaching them sincerely.
His patriotism is reflected in his praise for the French language as being the most beautiful and most logical language in the world. He tells the class to guard their language as being close to one’s language is the key to escape from the prison of slavery. It will help them in getting free from the Germans.
They realize the importance of learning their mother tongue and that they have been defeated by the Germans because of their illiteracy.
Franz feels that it is not possible to take away one’s language from a person as it is natural to each being, may it be the “coo” to the pigeons or “French” to the Frenchmen.