Question

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

“Your parents were not anxious enough to have you learn. They preferred to put you to work on a farm or at the mills, so as to have a little more money. And I? I’ve been to blame also. Have I not often sent you to water my flowers instead of learning your lessons”?

1. Who is addressing and whom, and on what occasion? (Understanding)
2. Who were put to earn more money for the parents? What does it show about them? (Understanding and Analysis)
3. What made the speaker blame himself? (Understanding)
4. What do you think of the speaker? (Analysis)
5. Why does the speaker focus on the importance of learning mother tongue later in the context? (Analysis)

Answer 1

1. M. Hamel is addressing Franz and the villagers during his last French lesson. He is explaining how the people of Alsace had neglected learning their mother tongue.
2. The children were often sent to work on farms or at the mills instead of being sent to study. This shows that their parents were more concerned with earning money than with their children’s education.
3. M. Hamel blamed himself because he had also neglected his teaching duties. He admits that he sometimes sent students, including Franz, to water his flowers instead of making them study their lessons.
4. M. Hamel appears honest, responsible and self-critical. Although he was strict, he accepts his own mistakes and genuinely regrets that the people failed to value their language and education.
5. The loss of freedom to learn French makes M. Hamel realise its cultural and emotional importance. He wants the people to value their mother tongue because it preserves their identity, unity and connection with their homeland.