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The Last Lesson Summary

Franz was late for his last French lesson before the school was required to teach only in German under new Prussian rule. He realized why the teacher M. Hamel was dressed formally and why the villagers had come - to thank M. Hamel for his 40 years of teaching. During the lesson, M. Hamel emphasized the importance of the French language and culture for the students of Alsace, and had the class copy a page with the words "France Alsace" as their last assignment. When the church bells rang and the Prussian trumpets started playing, M. Hamel was overcome with emotion and wrote "Vive La France" on the blackboard before dismissing the class.

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1K views

The Last Lesson Summary

Franz was late for his last French lesson before the school was required to teach only in German under new Prussian rule. He realized why the teacher M. Hamel was dressed formally and why the villagers had come - to thank M. Hamel for his 40 years of teaching. During the lesson, M. Hamel emphasized the importance of the French language and culture for the students of Alsace, and had the class copy a page with the words "France Alsace" as their last assignment. When the church bells rang and the Prussian trumpets started playing, M. Hamel was overcome with emotion and wrote "Vive La France" on the blackboard before dismissing the class.

Uploaded by

Preeti
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Summary

Franz was late for school and dreaded a scolding as he had not learnt his lesson on participles. He
thought of running away and spending the day outdoors as he was more fascinated by the sight of birds
chirping and soldiers drilling than learning the rules of participles. But he resisted his temptation and
hurried to school.
When he passed through the town hall, he saw a crowd at the bulletin board which was the source of
all the bad news for two years: the lost battles, the draft, and the orders of the commanding officer. He
wondered what could be the matter now.
He then noticed that the school’s environment had completely changed. It was all so still, as quiet as
Sunday morning. Through the window, he saw that his classmates had already settled into their places.
He blushed and was frightened as he entered the room. To his surprise, M. Hamel asked him very
politely to go to his seat.
He noticed that his teacher had dressed in a green coat and frilled shirt and had worn his black silk cap.
The thing which surprised him the most was that the back benches were occupied by the villagers.
M. Hamel then announced that it was their last French lesson as an order was received from Berlin to
teach only German in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. The words were a thunderclap on the
narrator’s face. He regretted not learning his own language and wasting his time on other activities:
seeking birds’ eggs and sliding on the Saar. His heavy books which earlier seemed a nuisance to him
were like his old friends. He also started liking M. Hamel and forgot how strict he was.
He realized why the teacher was dressed like that and the villagers had gathered in the classroom to
thank their master for his meritorious service of 40 years. It was a sign of repentance for not having
gone to school more often.
Now, the teacher asked Franz to recite the rules of participles but he fumbles and mixes up everything,
the teacher then blames his parents for being ignorant and sending children to work on the farm. He
blamed himself for sending the children to water his plants and giving them a holiday when he went for
fishing.
He then talks about the beauty of the French language saying that it is the clearest and most logical. He
said that they must guard their language as it is the key to their prison. The teacher then taught the
lesson and everyone listened attentively. He handed new copies to everyone with “France Alsace”
written on them.
When the church struck twelve, the trumpets of the Prussians returning from drill started playing. M.
Hamel tried to speak but something choked him.
Then he returned to the blackboard, took a piece of chalk, and wrote as large as he can, “Vive La
France”(Long Live France). The school was then dismissed.

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