- Action, Linking, and Auxiliary Verb: Definitions, Functions, and Examples
- Correct Use of Verbs
- Correct Use of Preposition
- Present Perfect vs. Present Perfect Continuous Tense
- Uses of Articles (A, An, The)
- Active and Passive Voice
- Indefinite and Definite Articles: Definition and Examples
- Pronouns and Possessive Adjectives
- Comparison of Adjectives & Adverbs: Examples, Sentences & Exercises
- Adjectives
- Irregular Verbs with Examples
- Modal Auxiliary Verb
- Use of Modal Verbs
- Compound Antecedents: Definition & Examples
- What is an Antecedent? Definition, Meaning & Examples
- What Are Collective Nouns?
- What Are Possessive Nouns? Examples, Definition & Types
Comprehensive English: Sentence Structure: Understanding Grammar
- Parts of Speech
- Degree of Comparison
- Difference Between Direct & Indirect Objects in Sentence Structure
- Gerunds: Are They Verbs? Are They Nouns?
- Conjunction vs. Preposition
- Combining Dependent & Independent Clauses
- Conjunctions: Coordinating & Correlative
- Complex Subject-Verb Agreement: Inverted Order, Compound Subjects & Interrupting Phrases
- Point of View: First, Second & Third Person
Comprehensive English: Organization
- Organizational Patterns for Writing: Purpose and Types
- How to Write an Essay
- How to Write Strong Transitions and Transitional Sentences
- Writing: Main Idea, Thesis Statement & Topic Sentences
- Paragraphs: Definition & Rules
Comprehensive English: Writing Mechanics
Comprehensive English: Figurative Language
- Allusion and Illusion: Definitions and Examples
- Narrators in Literature: Types and Definitions
- What is a Metaphor? Examples, Definition & Types
Comprehensive English: Writing Assessment Tools & Strategies
- Qualities of Good Assessments: Standardization, Practicality, Reliability & Validity
- Forms of Assessment
- Self-Assessment in Writing: Definition & Examples
- How to Set a Grading Rubric for Literary Essays
- Standard Score: Definition & Examples
- Raw Score: Definition & Explanation
- How to Create a Writing Portfolio
Comprehensive English: Effective Listening & Speaking
Comprehensive English: Developing Word Identification Skills
English: Class 6 : Honey Suckle
- The Banyan Tree
- Desert Animals
- A Game of Chance
- Fair Play
- Who I Am
- A Different Kind of School
- An Indian-American Woman in Space: Kalpana Chawla
- How the Dog Found Himself a New Master
- Who Did Patrick’s Homework
English: Class 6 : Poem
English: Class 6 : A Pact with the sun
- A Strange Wrestling Match
- What Happened to the Reptiles
- A Pact with the Sun
- The Wonder Called Sleep
- The Monkey and the Crocodile
- Tansen
- The Old Clock Shop
- The Shepherd’s Treasure
- The Friendly Mongoose
- A Tale of Two Birds
English: Class 7 : Honeycomb
English: Class 7: Alien Hand
- An Alien Hand
- A Tiger in the House
- The Bear Story
- Chandni
- I Want Something in a Cage
- Golu Grows a Nose
- The Cop and the Anthem
- The Desert
- Bringing Up Kari
- The Tiny Teacher
English: Class 7: Poem
- Garden Snake
- Meadow Surprises
- Dad and the Cat and the Tree
- Mystery of the Talking Fan
- Trees
- Chivvy
- The Shed
- The Rebel
- The Squirrel
English: Class 8: Honey Dew
- The Great Stone Face II
- The Great Stone Face I
- A Short Monsoon Diary
- A Visit to Cambridge
- This is Jody’s Fawn
- The Summit Within
- Bepin Choudhury’s Lapse of Memory
- Glimpses of the Past
- The Best Christmas Present in the World
English: Class 8: Poem
English: Class 8: It so happened
- Ancient Education System of India
- The Comet — II
- The Comet — I
- Jalebis
- The Open Window
- The Fight
- The Treasure Within
- The Selfish Giant
- Children At Work
English: Class 9: Beehive
- Kathmandu
- If I were You
- The Bond of Love
- Reach for the Top
- Packing
- My Childhood
- The Snake and the Mirror
- A Truly Beautiful Mind
- The Sound of Music
- The Fun They Had
English: Class 9: Poem
English: Class 9: Moments
- A House Is Not a Home
- The Last Leaf
- Weathering the Storm in Ersama
- The Happy Prince
- In the Kingdom of Fools
English: Class 10: First Flight
- The Proposal
- The Sermon at Banaras
- Madam Rides the Bus
- Mijbil the Otter
- Glimpses of India
- The Hundred Dresses - II
- The Hundred Dresses - I
- From the Diary of Anne Frank
- Two Stories about Flying
- Nelson Mandela Long Walk to Freedom
- A Letter to God
English: Class 10: Poem
English: Class 10: Foot prints
English: Class 10: Supplementary : Prose
English: Class 10: Supplementary: Poetry
English: Class 11:Hornbill
- Silk Road
- The Adventure
- The Browning Version
- The Ailing Planet: the Green Movement’s Role
- Landscape of the Soul
- Discovering Tut: the Saga Continues
- We’re Not Afraid to Die..if We Can All Be Together
- The Portrait of a Lady
English: Class 11: Supplementary
- The Tale of Melon City
- Birth
- The Ghat of the Only World
- Albert Einstein at School
- Ranga’s Marriage
- The Address
- The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse
English: Class 11: Poem
- 2Ajamil and the Tigers
- Ode to a Nightingale
- Felling of the Banyan Tree
- Refugee Blues
- For Elkana
- Hawk Roosting
- Mother Tongue
- The World is too Much With Us
- Telephone Conversation
- Coming
- Let me Not to the Marriage of True Minds
- The Peacock
English: Class 12: Prose
- Going Places
- The Interview
- Poets and Pancakes
- Indigo
- The Rattrap
- Deep Water
- Lost Spring
- The Last Lesson
English: Class 12: Supplementary
Chapter Summary
The French Author Alphonse Daudet wrote The last lesson. In this story, the author talks about the events that took place in 1870 when France was annexed by the Prussian forces led by Bismarck. Then on Lorraine and Alsace went under Prussian rule. French was discontinued to be taught in these two districts. The French teachers were ordered to leave these districts. Subsequently, Mr. Hamel was not allowed to teach the students anymore on the premise of his old school.
However, the last lesson that he taught to the students was full of love and dedication and taught the students to uphold the love for the French language in their hearts. The students in the classroom were also thoroughly attentive during the last lesson. There was particularly one who was afraid of coming down to the class as he feared he would get punished but when he was released it would be his last lesson, during the class even he understood the importance of this subject, their mother tongue.
The people in this story suddenly reapze how precious their language is to them. What shows you this? Why does this happen?
A notice was hung on the bulletin board; it stated that German would be taught in all the schools instead of French. The entire village was sad as they received this order from Berpn. In the school, the regular commotion was substituted with silence, the students were thoroughly attentive in their last lesson, and some of the uneducated villagers regretted their decision of not getting properly educated during their youth and came to attend the class. They also came down to the class to pay tribute to Mr. Hammel who has been sincerely teaching their mother tongue for years. In consideration of the ambiance of the classroom, Mr. Hammels mentioned that often people release the importance of something once it is lost; something similar was happening inside the classroom as everybody was disheartened when they came to know they would not be taught French, their mother tongue, anymore.
Franz thinks, “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?” - What could this mean?
This statement emphasizes the sentiment that is invoked among the students once they came to release that their native language won t be taught to them anymore, instead they will have to learn an entirely foreign language. The language as a whole is a reflection of the heritage and culture of a particular region or community of people. Once the privilege of getting taught that particular subject is robbed the people it is bound to be painful. Franz in this situation points out the fact that the new government might force them to learn a new language but they won t be able to imprint it on nature and free creatures. It imppes that they might have to learn German in school but they will freely speak French whenever possible. This statement of Franz further imppes that they might be able to confine the people within the boundaries of the updated norms but the birds are free. These free creatures cannot be captivated.
When people are enslaved, as long as they hold fast to their language is as if they had the key to their prison. Can you think of examples in history where a conquered people had their language taken away from them or had a language imposed on them?
This statement further focuses on the aspect that people might get enslaved and be bound by laws and regulations, as long as they uphold the value of their mother tongue; they will keep their country apve in their souls. Throughout history, there have various instances when people have been robbed of their mother language, some of the notable instances are as follows −
Over time, Angola had its pngua franca turned to Portuguese.
Celtic people were forced to learn Engpsh over various stretches of annexation.
Spanish was forcefully imposed upon the Basques and the Catalans.
Kurds had to learn the Turkish Language.
What happens to a pnguistic minority in a state (in India)? How do you think they can keep their language apve? For example: Punjabis in Bangalore, Tamipans in Mumbai, Kannadigas in Delhi and Gujaratis in Kolkata
It often happens that the pnguistic minorities are not given enough opportunity to propagate their language in a particular place. They are required to learn the language of the speakers of the majority for day-to-day pves and sustenance. Language often becomes a barrier in terms of communication and it blocks the interaction between people of the community with the other. This brings forth the need for a universal language, such as Engpsh, which is spoken vastly across the world and has become a standard of communication between people all across the world. All the languages that exist around the world are representative of a culture and heritage and it upholds the inspaniduapstic values of a person. A language that a person associated with or their mother tongue is also a part of an identity for an inspanidual, it symbopzes their authenticity and it feels a person with pride and joy from within.
Is it possible to carry pride in one’s language too far? Do you know what ‘Linguistic Chauvinism’ means?
Yes, it is quite possible to carry the pride in one s language too far and there have been various instances across history to advocate this statement. It often happens when a person is too fond of their language and tries to preach it to others without respecting the language of other people. This aspect of human behaviour leads to indifference among people toward other languages and sprouts a sense of superiority that is harmful to society as a whole. It crosses a thin pne between being proud and pride, it leads to the case of pnguistic chauvinism which is harmful and insensitive to other people. Often people are associated with terms to distort their identities, for example, Bengap people are called bongs, Gujratis are called Gujjus, etc.
FAQs
Q1. What sentiment does this story invoke in a reader?
Ans. The story speaks about the importance of the native language of every community. An inspanidual should feel proud of their community and their native language, no matter what. Mother tongue is also part of an identity for an inspanidual.
Q2. What is Alphonse trying to reflect about the sentiment associated with the native language through Franz?
Ans. Alphonse wrote the character Franz and through him, he wanted to say that it is impossible to separate an inspanidual from their language. A native language is natural to an inspanidual. No matter how hard someone tries to impose a different language on a person they would never be able to take a mother tongue off of the heart of an inspanidual.
Q3. How should people behave towards other communities and their cultures?
Ans. People should be thoughtful and tolerant of other communities and their identities, especially the language. Everybody should be allowed to follow the repgion and speak their language proudly.