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The Last Lesson
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 realize 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 Berlin. 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 implies that they might have to learn German in school but they will freely speak French whenever possible. This statement of Franz further implies 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 alive 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 lingua franca turned to Portuguese.
Celtic people were forced to learn English 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 linguistic minority in a state (in India)? How do you think they can keep their language alive? For example: Punjabis in Bangalore, Tamilians in Mumbai, Kannadigas in Delhi and Gujaratis in Kolkata
It often happens that the linguistic 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 lives 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 English, 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 individualistic values of a person. A language that a person associated with or their mother tongue is also a part of an identity for an individual, it symbolizes 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 line between being proud and pride, it leads to the case of linguistic chauvinism which is harmful and insensitive to other people. Often people are associated with terms to distort their identities, for example, Bengali 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 individual should feel proud of their community and their native language, no matter what. Mother tongue is also part of an identity for an individual.
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 individual from their language. A native language is natural to an individual. 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 individual.
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 religion and speak their language proudly.
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