Alphonse Daudet’s The Last Class (aka The Last lesson) looks at the disheartened reactions of Alsatian villagers, children and their teacher to the decision that the French language can no longer be taught at their school. Their part of France (Alsace and Lorraine) has become part of Germany following the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, and the Berlin government has ordered that only German can be taught in the school. Themes include language as part of identity, cultural subjugation, the value of education, regret (not only for the changes, but also missed opportunities in learning and teaching), patriotism and community spirit.
As an aside, the teacher’s parting words on the blackboard: “Vive La France!” seem somewhat ironic given the French government’s attempts to wipe out many of its own minority languages over the 100 years leading up to the story.
Original Text / PDF / Audio (1,650 words)