Question

(Answer in 120 – 150 words.) Both ‘The Last Lesson’ and ‘Deep Water’ explore the transformative power of fear but in contrasting ways. How does Franz’s fear of losing his language differ from Douglas’s struggle to conquer his fear of water. Discuss with reference to the given texts.

Hint:

Contrast the origin, reaction and change: cultural fear and regret versus childhood trauma and persistence.

Answer 1

Step 1: Plan the answer:
Cover the origin of each fear, how each character reacted, and how each was changed, with at least one point from each text.

Step 2: Model answer:
Both texts show how fear can change a person, but the fears differ greatly. In 'The Last Lesson', Franz fears the loss of his mother tongue after the order from Berlin that only German would be taught in Alsace. This change in the political order makes him regret his idleness. His books, once a burden, now seem old friends, and he listens to M. Hamel with attention, wishing he could recite the rule of participles. In 'Deep Water', Douglas's fear is personal, born of a childhood experience when he was thrown into a pool and nearly drowned. The terror paralysed him for years. He finally hired an instructor and trained patiently until he conquered his phobia. Franz is transformed through regret, while Douglas is transformed through discipline and persistence.

Final Answer:
Franz's cultural fear brings regret and a late love for learning, while Douglas's personal fear leads to hard training and victory.