The document provides a summary of the short story "The Last Lesson" by Alphonse Daudet. It describes how in 1870 Prussian forces captured the French regions of Alsace and Lorraine. The new Prussian rulers then discontinued the teaching of French in schools in those regions and asked French teachers to leave. The story focuses on the last day of school for a French teacher named M. Hamel, as he is transferred out after many years of teaching. It depicts the sadness felt by both teacher and students at losing their French language and teacher.

3. SNO. TOPIC PAGE NO.
1 ABOUT THE AUTHOR 4-5
2 THEME 6
3 SUMMARY 7-9
4 MAP OF FRANCE(1850) 10
50 CHARACTERS 11-13
INDEX

7. THE LAST LESSON ..
 The prose 'The Last Lesson', written by
Alphonse Daudet narrates about the year
1870 when the Prussian forces under
Bismark 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.

8.  The story describes the last day of one such
French teacher ,M.Hamel.
 Mr. M. Hamel had been transferred and could
no longer remain in his old school. Still he gave
last lesson to his students with utmost devotion
and sincerity as ever.
 The story depicts the pathos of the whole
situation about how people feel when they don’t
learn their own language and then losing an
asset in M.Hamel.

9.  One of his student Franz who dreaded French
class and M.Hamel's iron rod, came to the
school that day thinking he would be punished
as he had not learnt his lesson of participles.
 But on reaching school he found Hamel
dressed in Sunday clothes and all the old
people of the village sitting there.
 It was due to an order on the bulletin board.
That was the first day when he realised for the
first time that how important French was for
him, but it was his LAST LESSON in French.

12. He is presented in the mould of a traditional
school-master. He always kept his 'terrible'
ruler under his arm. Mr Hamel was a hard task-
master. We see the other side of M. Hamel's
character after the order from Berlin came. He
was a transformed person now. He became
extra soft and gentle 'towards his students. He
didn't scold Franz for coming late. Nor did he
use his ruler when Franz got mixed up and
confused. He declared that it was his last
lesson in French.
M. Hamel was highly respected both by his
students and the village elders. He had
completed 40 years in the same school. The
village elders came to pay their respect to such
a grand teacher.
M. Hamel loved France and French from the
core of his heart. He considered French as the
most beautiful language in the world. He asked
the people to guard it among themselves and
never to forget it.

13. FRANZ
Little Franz was a student of a school in
Alsace. M. Hamel was his schoolmaster. Franz
was not a brilliant student. He didn't prepare
his lesson on participles. When he was asked
to recite, he got mixed up and confused. He
was always in dread of the great ruler that M.
Hamel kept under his arm. Franz knew how
'cranky' M. Hamel was.
However, Franz had to change his opinion
about M. Hamel. An order had come from
Berlin. German language was imposed on the
people in Alsace. When he came to know that
it was the last lesson of Mr. Hamel, his views
about him changed. He began to respect him.
He had spent 40 years in the same school. He
felt sorry that he had neglected learning
French. He shared M. Hamel's views about
French. It was the most beautiful language in
the world. He listened to M. Hamel's last
lesson with rapt attention and respect.

14. THE LAST LESSON
 BY – ABHAY DAS
 CLASS – 12.E
 SUBJECT - ENGLISH