Question

Answer any three questions of the following in 40-50 words each:
What changes did the order from Berlin cause in school that day?

Hint:

Always mention the three key changes: 1. The strange silence, 2. The teacher's special dress, 3. The presence of village elders on the back benches.

Answer 1

Recall the impact of the historical order banning the French language in Alphonse Daudet's "The Last Lesson".

The order from Berlin mandated that only German would be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. This caused an unusual, Sunday-morning-like silence in the school. M. Hamel, the French teacher, was dressed in his fine Sunday clothes and spoke with immense patience. Furthermore, the back benches, usually empty, were occupied by the village elders mourning the loss of their language.