Impression of banning french language after reading story last lesson
Answers
The prose The Last Lesson’, written by Alphonse Daudet describes the year 1870 when the Prussian forces under Bismarck attacked and captured France. The French districts of Alsace and Lorraine went into Prussian hands. The new Prussian rulers discontinued the teaching of French in the schools of these two districts. The French teachers were asked to leave. The story describes the last day of one such French class under M. Hamel. M. Hamel could no longer remain in his old school. He gave his last lesson with utmost devotion.
One of his students, Franz, who played truant with French class and feared M. Hamel’s iron rod, came to the school that day thinking he would be punished as he had not learnt his lesson on participles. On reaching school, he found M. Hamel dressed in Sunday clothes and all the old people of the village sitting there. (He later learned that it was due to an order on the bulletin board.) That was when he realized for the first time how important French was for him, that it was his Last Lesson in French.
The story ‘The Last Lesson’ highlights the human tendency to procrastinate and put away things for tomorrow; hence, the man keeps postponing the lessons of life, oblivious to the fact that life is subject to change. The people of Alsace always thought they had plenty of time to learn the lessons; therefore, they did not give much importance to the school. They preferred sending their children to work on the farms and mills instead of having them learn the lessons. Even Franz, the narrator, always looked for opportunities to skip the school and collect birds’ eggs. However, the unexpected happens and an order is received from Berlin regarding the compulsory teaching of German in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. It is then that they realize that they would be deprived of what they had been evading all this while.
The last French lesson taught by It Hamel symbolizes the loss of language and the loss of freedom for France. It becomes an emotional lesson rendered by M. Hamel to the villagers, signifying the changing order of life and its impact on the sensibilities and emotions of people. The marching soldiers under the windows represent the dawn of Prussia in France, the defeat of the French people and the resultant threat to their language and culture.
Please mark as brainliest answer