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प्रश्न
The Last Lesson shows that people suddenly realised how precious their language was to them.
Comment.
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उत्तर
The story was written in the days of the Franco-Prussian war in which France was defeated by Prussia. In this story the French districts of Alsace-Lorraine have passed into Prussian hands. M. Hamel is the teacher of French and a boy, Franz who never serious in the class of M. Hamel. One day he was late for school. He feared that his teacher would scold as he was not very sure about participles which the teacher, M. Hamel, is going to test that day. But finally he decided to go to school. As he entered he saw the crowd has gathered round the bulletin board. He did not stop there. On arriving at school, he noted an unusual silence. He entered into the class and was greeted with a strange sight. The last benches which were always empty were occupied by the village elders who look grim and solemn. Franz noticed M. Hamel was dressed nicely and asked Franz to sit so that he could start his lesson. The teacher made a startling announcement that this would be their last lesson in French as the new teacher would be arriving the following day. He said, “ The order has come from Berlin to teach only German in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. The new teacher comes tomorrow. This is your last French lesson. I want you to be very attentive.” There came a sudden change in the minds of the people and they developed a new profound love French. Franz was overcome with a feeling of remorse and regretted for wasting his time in trivial pursuits. He decided to pay attention to the lesson since school had become very important for him. The people and Franz himself realized how precious their language is to them. M. Hamel had been teaching in that school for last forty years. His dedication, devotion, discipline impressed them. He realizes the real worth of his school and the teacher whom they have all taken for granted all these years. M. Hamel in his last address told about the importance of French. He called that it was the most beautiful language in the world. It is the clearest and the most logical one. M.Hamel was overcome by strong emotions and in large letter he wrote on the board ‘Viva La France’ – long live France!
APPEARS IN
संबंधित प्रश्न
Answer the following question in 120 – 150 words:
Our language is part of our culture and we are proud of it. Describe how regretful M. Hamel and the village elders are for having neglected their native language, French.
Answer the following question in 120-150 words :
How did the order from Berlin change the situation in the school ? (The Last Lesson)
Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meaning from the context.
- in great dread of
- counted on
- thumbed at the edges
- in unison
- a great bustle
- reproach ourselves with
What did Franz notice that was unusual about the school that day?
The people in this story suddenly realize how precious their language is to them. What shows you this? Why does this happen?
“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.”
Can you think of examples in history where conquered people had their language taken away from them or had a language imposed on them?
What happens to a linguistic minority in a state? How do you think they can keep their language alive? For example:
Punjabis in Bangalore
Tamilians in Mumbai
Kannadigas in Delhi
Gujaratis in Kolkata
Find out about the following (You may go to the internet, interview people, consult reference books or visit a library.)
- Linguistic human rights
- Constitutional guarantees for linguistic minorities in India
Given below is a survey form. Talk to at least five of your classmates and fill in the information you get in the form.
|
S. No. |
Languages |
Home |
Neighbourhood |
City/Town |
School |
| 1. | |||||
| 2. | |||||
| 3. | |||||
| 4. | |||||
| 5. |
“You realise the true value of a thing only on losing it.” Comment on this statement in the light of the story, The Last Lesson.
Read the given extract and answer the questions.
| Usually, when school began, there was a great bustle, which could be heard out in the street, the opening and closing of desks, lessons repeated in unison, very loud, with our hands over our ears to understand better, and the teacher’s great ruler rapping on the table. But now it was all so still! I had counted on the commotion to get to my desk without being seen; but, of course, that day everything had to be as quiet as Sunday morning. Through the window I saw my classmates, already in their places, and M. Hamel walking up and down with his terrible iron ruler under his arm. I had to open the door and go in before everybody. You can imagine how I blushed and how frightened I was. |
- List any two sensory details present in this extract. (1)
- Why does the protagonist feel anxious about entering the classroom on this particular day? (1)
- The classmates have started the lesson
- The teacher is in a bad mood
- The classroom is too quiet
- The protagonist is running late
- Complete the sentence appropriately. (1)
The phrase "as quiet as Sunday morning" suggests that ______. - Pick evidence from the extract that helps one infer that this was not the protagonist’s first time being late to school. (1)
- What does the term 'terrible iron ruler' indicate about M. Hamel? (1)
- Which of the following headlines best suggests the central idea of the extract? (1)
- The Fears of a Latecomer
- The Importance of Punctuality
- The Rigidity of the School System
- The Anxiety of a Young Student
Form groups of three. Write three sentences of three words each.
Form groups of four. Write four sentences of four words each.
In what region does the story take place?
Who is narrating the story?
Find where Alsace and Loraine are located with the help of the map.
According to M. Hamel, who are the people that did not take education seriously? What examples does he give to support his view?
With the coming of the Prussians, will language be the only thing that will change? What other changes may take place?
Why does the author say, ‘I never saw him look so tall’?
Find five words ending with ‘-ing’ and five words ending with ‘-ed’ from the lesson.
What is the meaning of the following word and phrase in the passage? Choose the correct alternative.
______ did not know the first word about them
What is the meaning of the following word and phrase in the passage? Choose the correct alternative.
Terrible iron ruler
What is the meaning of the following word and phrase in the passage? Choose the correct alternative.
What a thunderclap these words were to me!
Why was Franz sad?
See if you can make a sentence with as many words in it as there are students in your classroom.
Write the sentence in big letters on chart paper and display it in the classroom.
