The document summarizes the short story "The Last Lesson" by Alphonse Daudet. It describes how a French teacher, M. Hamel, gives his last lesson to his students in French, as the German occupation of Alsace-Lorraine after the Franco-Prussian War requires lessons to now be taught in German. During the emotional final lesson, M. Hamel helps his students appreciate the French language and culture before he leaves. The story illustrates the human impact of war and language suppression.

1. JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

3. JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS
• born in Nîmes, France
• French short-story writer and novelist
• is remembered chiefly for his regionalist
sketches of Provence.
• & for his transitional role in the evolution of
19th-century theater.

4. • The following contrasting elements are
found harmonized in Daudet’s best works-
• truth and fantasy
• merciless delineation and poetry
• clear-sighted seriousness and a sense of
humour
• irony and compassion
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

5. JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

6. Alsace-Lorraine
• Alsace-Lorraine was the name given to
the territory that was ceded by France to
Germany(Prussia) in 1871 after the
Franco-Prussian War.
• This territory was retroceded to France in
1919 after World War I.
• It was ceded again to Germany in 1940
during World War II, and was again
retroceded to France in 1945.
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

7. JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

8. Alsace-Lorraine
• Because of its ancient German
associations and because of its large
German-speaking population, Alsace-
Lorraine was incorporated into the
German Empire after France’s defeat in
the Franco-German War (1870–71).
• The loss of Alsace-Lorraine was a major
cause of anti-German feeling in France in
the period from 1871 to 1914.
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

9. Alsace-Lorraine
• France also suffered economically from
the loss of Alsace-Lorraine’s valuable iron
ore deposits, iron- and steelmaking plants,
and other industries to Germany.
• Linguistically, the German dialect known
as Alsatian remains the lingua franca of
the region.
• Today, both French and German are
taught in the schools.
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

10. Franco-Prussian War (1870 –1871)
• In this war, a coalition of German states
led by Prussia defeated France.
• The war marked the end of French
hegemony in continental Europe.
• It marked the end of the reign of French
monarch Napolean III.
• It also resulted in the creation of a unified
Germany.
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

11. JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

12. Otto von Bismarck (1815 – 1898)
• aka. the "Iron Chancellor".
• was the first Chancellor of Germany.
• provoked three short, decisive wars against
Denmark, Austria, and France.
• his annexation of Alsace-Lorraine gave new
fuel to French nationalism.
• this helped set the stage for the First World
War.
• was the architect of the unification of
Germany
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

13. JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

14. The story is set in a classroom
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

15. The Last Lesson
• Setting - Alsace & Lorraine, France
– Franco-Prussian War -1870-71
– France was defeated by Prussia
– Territories of Alsace & Lorraine under Prussian control.
Characters
M.Hamel - a school teacher
teaches French
experience of 40 years
Franz - a student who is lazy
is a procrastinator
is a representative of the French citizen
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

16. Here goes the story..
• Franz hurrying off to school
• He sees a crowd in front of the bulletin board
• For 2 years all bad news were communicated
from the bulletin-board
• Usually there's commotion in school in the
morning - but that day - as quiet as a Sunday
morning
• The frightened Franz enters the class- but
he's relieved as he's not scolded.
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

17. Inside the Classroom
• M.Hamel wore
– his beautiful green coat
– his frilled shirt
– his black silk cap
• He wore this only on inspection & prize days
• The atmosphere in the class was strange &
solemn
• On the bak benches sat the elders of the
village
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

18. What a thunderclap...!
• M.Hamel informs that it is the last lesson
in French
– Order from Berlin
– Teach only German in schools of A & L
– New German master will come the next day
• Franz understood the following things-
– This was the news on the bulletin-board
– Why Hamel had put on his fine clothes
– Why the old men of the village were there
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

19. The Last Lesson begins
• Hamel teaches the following topics-
– Grammar - participles
– Lesson in writing - calligraphy - distributed
new copies for students
– History
– French phonetics - ba, be, bi, bo, bu
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

20. Who is responsible for the present
plight of French language in A & L?
• Hamel blames the following people-
– the people - for their habit of procrastination.
• “I've plenty of time. I'll learn it tomorrow.”
• “....you pretend to be Frenchmen, and yet you can
neither speak nor write your own language?”
– the parents - who preferred to send their
children to work to earn money than to learn.
– himself
• for making the kids water his flowers
• for declaring holiday to go fishing
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

21. Hamel's views on French Language
• “....it was the most beautiful language
in the world - the clearest, the most
logical..”
• “......when a people are enslaved, as
long as they hold fast to their
language it is as if they had the key to
their prison.”
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

22. Changes in Attitude
• When Hamel teaches Participles, he asks
Franz a question on the topic - but Franz
fails to answer.
• Hamel doesn't scold - he is kind &
forgiving - Hamel explained everything
very patiently
• Franz listened carefully - he found it easy -
he understood it
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

23. The Departure of the Master
• Hamel in pensive mood - observed
everything carefully
• He is emotional -on the verge of tears
• Everyone turns emotional
• Clock struck twelve - time for Angelus -
trumpets of the Prussians heard
• Hamel couldn't say farewell - chocked -
writes “Vive La France!” on the blackboard.
• Hamel dismisses the class.
JUDE JOSEPH, PGT ENGLISH, KVS

24. primer - a basic text for teaching
something
hopvine -

26. • Angelus - prayers said in the morning, in
the middle of the day and in the evening in
the Roman Catholic Church
• trumpet - a brass musical instrument with
a flared bell and a bright, penetrating tone
• Vive La France - Long Live, France