Question:
Why did M. Hamel say to his children to be very attentive while teaching the last French lesson?
Why did M. Hamel say to his children to be very attentive while teaching the last French lesson?
Updated On: Sep 24, 2026
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Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Context:
In Alphonse Daudet's 'The Last Lesson', an order had come from Berlin that only German would henceforth be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine, which had been annexed by Prussia.
Step 2: Reason:
M. Hamel asked the children to be very attentive because this was literally their last lesson in the French language — their mother tongue — and he wanted them to grasp and cherish as much of it as possible before it was taken away from the school curriculum forever.
In Alphonse Daudet's 'The Last Lesson', an order had come from Berlin that only German would henceforth be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine, which had been annexed by Prussia.
Step 2: Reason:
M. Hamel asked the children to be very attentive because this was literally their last lesson in the French language — their mother tongue — and he wanted them to grasp and cherish as much of it as possible before it was taken away from the school curriculum forever.
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