Main Points
1. Franz's Worry
- Late for school
- Participles not prepared
2. Rust at the bulletin board
3. Atmosphere in classroom
- All classmates already in places
- Hamel wearing special fine sunday clothes
- Village people also sitting quietly
- Sadness in the air
4. Hamel's address
- The last lesson
- Ref. t news at the bulletin board
- No more french
- German to be taught
5. Casual approach towards French
- Children preferred postponing learning; parents preferred their children earning money
- Hamel preferred children watering his plants; he gave them holidays as he wanted to go fishing
6. His opinion about French
- The most beautiful language in the world
- Clearest and most logical
- In slavery - The key to their prison
7. The last lesson in the class
- Grammar, writing and history
- Old Hauser spelt letters from primer with babies crying
- Mr. Hamel pale, throat choked, wrote 'Vive La France!'
Summary at a Glance
1. Late for school
The narrator (Franz) started for school very late that morning, He feared his class teacher, M.Hamel. He would question the students on participles. The narrator did not know even the first word about them. Fe feared a scolding. He thought of running away and spending the day out of doors. The weather was very warm bright. On his second thought, he decided otherwise. He hurried off to school.
2. Crowd in front of the Bulletin board
As Franz walked past the town hall, he saw a big crowd in front of the bulletin board. For the last two years all the bad news had come from there. The people got the news of the lost battles and other important information only from there.
3. Unusual calm at school
Usually, when the school began there was a lot of hustle and bustle. The opening and closing of desks and lessons orally repeated loudly in unison, created a lot of commotion. But now it was all so still. He could depend on the commotion to get to his desk without being noticed. But now he went in before everybody. He blushed and was quite frightened. But nothing happened. No punishment. M. Hamel saw and asked him very kindly to take his seat.
4. The Last Lesson
M. Hamel was in formal clothes that he wore only on inspection and prize days. The whole school seemed quite strange and silent. The most surprising thing was the presence of the village elders. They were sitting quitely on the back benches. M. Hamel mounted his chair and spoke in a grave and gentle tone, "My children, this is the last lesson I shall give you". He told them that an order had come from Berlin. Only German would be taught in the schools of Alsace. The new master would join the next day. It was their last lesson in French. He wanted them to be very attentive.
5. Sudden Love for French
The narrator felt sorry for not learning his lessons in French. He never liked his books. He didn't have any interest in grammar and history. But now he developed a fascination for them. Even he started liking M. Hamel. the idea that he would not teach them any more, made Franz forget all about his ruler. He even forgot how cranky his teacher was. Now it was his turn to recite. But he got mixed up and confused. M. Hamel did not scold him.
6. M. Hamel glorifies French
M. Hamel showed his concern that people of Alsace generally gave no importance to French. They put off learninig their own native language. Franz was not the only exception. Many other were also guilty on this count. He declared that French language was the most beautiful language in the world. It was the clearest and most logical. They must guard it among themselves and never forget it. It appeared that M. Hamel wanted to give them all he knew before going away.
7. Vive La France ! (Long Live France!)
All at once the church clock struck twelve. The trumpets of the Prussian soldiers sounded under their windows. M. Hamel stood up, very pale, in his chair. He tried to speak but something choked him. He could not speak. Then he turned to the blackboard. He took a piece of chalk and wrote as large as he could : Vive La France ! (Long Live France!).
Then without a word, he made a gesture to them with his hand : School is dismissed - You may go.