The people in the story suddenly realize how precious their language is to
them. What shows you this? And why does this happen?
Answers
In the story, the French districts of Alsace and Lorraine had passed into Prussian hands. Hence, they received an order from Berlin that only German was to be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. It was then that all of them realized the value of their language.
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 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.