The last lesson is an interesting memory of a little boy Franz when the Prussian occupation of Alsace and Lorraine led to the imposition of German language in these parts.
The diction employed by the author and the revelation of the childish thoughts of the protagonist weave a memorable kaleidoscope of life in a sleepy village. It is shaken up by the war and all the changes slapped on due to change in governance. Though the village elders realise what is happening, the changes, the surreptitious snatching away of the identity of the people and their inability to resist is sensitively portrayed through the point of view of the narrator, merely a boy then.
The characterisation of the carefree village boy Franz, happy to collect bird's eggs, go for a swim in the river or just watch the Prussians at their drill juxtaposed with that of the experienced old French teacher M. Hamel brings out the innocencet as Franz wonders if the pigeons would be forced to coo in German.
The transition in the attitude of the student who is scared of the teacher's wrath to admiration and understanding, simultaneously the change in the stern teacher to one of soft unconditional love is emotionally stirring.
The whole story has been summarized beautifully, with good use of vocabulary. Even the detailing is perfect.
ReplyDeleteThe story 'The Last Lesson' illustrates how the lives of common folk were affected by the Franco-Prussian War, and how the French were subjugated by the Prussians due to French defeat in the war. As a result, a series of steps were taken by the Prussians to impose their will on the French. This is where the story sets in. French was banned and German was forced to be taught by teachers. The story also includes poetic devices like onomatopoeia, metaphor and simile to bring clarity to the events taking place in the story. Since French was banned, the identity of the people became questionable and were vulnerable to losing their culture. However in spite of all these factors, teachers like M. Hamel tried their best in teaching French and whatever they could in the hope of preserving their identity. So far, the story has been well articulated in a lucid manner.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with this blog, the plot and all the small details made the story very interesting to read.
ReplyDeleteThe Last Lesson by Alphonse Daudet is a touching and emotional story of war time. It shows how the war affected even young children by Franz. The identity of people is being forcefully snatched away from the French, something they take so much pride in. A language is the proof of origin of people and being rid of it makes everyone in the village unhappy and emotional. How it affects even a little child like Franz also shows how deeply rooted our language, custom and nationality is in our blood and hearts. M. Hamel was an outstanding teacher who tried his best to impart French language to the people of France. Despite all the threat and dangers he tried his best for his students to know the essence of their language.
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