Summary of The Last Lesson
Prussia defeated France in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-1871. They captured certain districts of France and decided to reign over them. The Last Lesson is a story, by French writer Alphonse Daudet, about the last day of school in the district of Alsace during the Franco-Prussian war. It is about realising the value of freedom we generally take for granted. The school’s teacher, M. Hamel, makes his last class memorable with strong words and gestures, invoking patriotism in all present at the premises. BYJU’S CBSE Summary summarises various chapters of Class 12 English textbooks. You can find The Last Lesson Class 12 Summary on this website for study and analysis. Students can also refer to CBSE Notes for various topics related to CBSE English, like literature questions and answers, grammar, and writing. Read on to find the full summary of the chapter.
CBSE Class 12 English The Last Lesson Summary
The narrator of the story is Franz – a student in the class of M. Hamel. One morning Franz was late for school. His teacher, M. Hamel, had told his class that he would be asking questions on participles on that day. Franz felt like bunking school for a moment. But he resisted the urge and went to school. On his way to school, he saw people clustered in front of the bulletin board, and, as usual, he assumed that there was some bad news. It had been happening since Prussia annexed their district of Alsace.
The day felt unusual compared to regular days, as there was no commotion in the classroom. Everything was quiet, and instead of being scolded by M. Hamel, Franz was asked to go to his seat quickly. He noticed something odd about his teacher. M. Hamel was not wearing his usual clothes – he wore extravagant clothes only meant for school inspection or prize days. Another odd thing that day about the school was that most of the villagers, including the former mayor, former postmaster, etc., were sitting on the back benches and looked sad.
As the class began, the teacher, M. Hamel, announced that this was his last French lesson for his students as the Prussians had announced that French would no longer be taught in schools. Franz felt a sudden pang of remorse. He realised what the bad news on the bulletin board was: French was no longer to be taught in schools. Franz felt sorry about bunking his classes and not bothering about his lessons. He realised the villagers had come there to pay their respects to M. Hamel’s forty years of service as a teacher. It was also about showing respect for their country, which was not theirs anymore.
When it was Franz’s turn to recite, M. Hamel was patient. He did not scold Franz. He went on to discuss their district’s problem – the assumption that they always had plenty of time. That is how the students lagged in their lessons – because they had taken their freedom and time for granted. Then M. Hamel blamed himself and Franz’s parents for making him do chores rather than letting him focus on his studies. M. Hamel went on to talk about the beauty of French – their mother tongue – and how everyone should hold on to it even if it were not taught at schools. He explained that when people are enslaved, the only key to redeeming their freedom is the common language that they share. He had brought new copies for the students and decorated the classroom for them.
Franz felt that everything his teacher was teaching was lucid and easy to understand. He blamed himself for not listening to the lessons properly. Franz discovered that M. Hamel was supposed to leave the country. He realised how difficult it must have been for his teacher to leave a place he had stayed and served in for forty years. As the clock struck twelve and the Prussians blew their trumpets, the class ended, and M. Hamel said goodbye to his class by writing ‘Vive La France’ on the blackboard since he was too emotional to speak. He leaned his head against the wall and made a gesture with his hand – implying that the school was dismissed.
Conclusion of The Last Lesson
The story ends on a very sentimental note. On the one hand, the citizens of Alsace were disappointed about losing their freedom under the reign of the Prussians. But also, on the other hand, they had come to realise what they were going to miss – the freedom and the privilege of learning their language, both of which they had taken for granted. The Last Lesson Class 12 summary shows how the teacher’s departure inspires patriotism in the villagers at the end of the story. We can see how the citizens of Alsace are getting ready for a new tomorrow of bitter realities by showing exceptional mental resolve.
Understanding the gist of the concepts involved in a piece of writing is very important for having a good grasp of literature. Students can find various other articles and materials related to CBSE English for better command over the syllabus. They can also find other related topics like grammar and writing on BYJU’S website.
