Are you looking for the character sketch of Franz and M Hamel from The Last Lesson?

by | Apr 18, 2023 | General | 3 comments

Character Sketch of M Hamel and Franz from Class 12 English Flamingo Book Chapter 1 The Last Lesson

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See this post to understand the character sketch of M Hamel and Franz from the Chapter  “The Last lesson” in Class 12 English! This post covers everything you need to know about M Hamel and Franz from the lesson. We provide answers to questions related to character sketch of M Hamel and Franz, including their traits, personalities, and motivations. Our explanations are easy to understand, and we offer examples from the lesson to support our points. So, read on and learn all about the character sketch of M Hamel and Franz from the last lesson!

 

 M-Hamel

Questions related to the character of M Hamal

Franz

Questions related to the character of Franz

Overview of the Lesson

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Character Sketch of M Hamel

Character sketch of M Hamel

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Questions related to the character of M Hamel.

 

Question. How does the class 12 story The Last Lesson show that M Hamel is a Dedicated teacher?

Ans. M Hamel has been teaching French at the school for the last forty years. He is strict, resides above the school which indicates his dedication towards the profession.
He is heart-broken by the Prussian order. He is repentant that now the French will lose their language and nationality. He blames himself also for sending students to do his chores and miss class. He praises their mother tongue reveres it as the key to freedom from slavery.
M Hamel emphasizes that the linguistic chauvinism imposed by Prussia is a result of the procrastination and lazy attitude of the French. This attitude has led to their slavery.


 

Question. How can you infer that M Hamel is a patriot who loves his mother tongue?

Ans. M Hamel has devoted his entire life towards teaching his countrymen. He has been teaching at that school for the past forty years.
M Hamel is heart-broken by the news that the people of Alsace and Lorraine will no longer study their mother tongue. He stresses the link between one’s language and nationality. He expresses his love for the French language by saying that it is the most logical and beautiful language. He adds that they must stay close to their language and guard it because it is their key to freedom from slavery. He gets new writing notebooks for the students on which, in beautiful handwriting, he has written – — France, Alsace, France, Alsace.
As the class ends, he gets so emotional that he writes the words – Vive la France on the board. Unable to speak, he just signals the class to leave.


 

Question. M Hamel from The Last Lesson is disciplined yet kind. Discuss.

Ans. The fear in Franz shows that M Hamel is a strict teacher.
However, as the story progresses, we notice that he is a disciplined teacher who has to be strict with the students to ensure that they are sincere towards their studies. M Hamel is kind also and on that day, he does not scold Franz.
M Hamel shows his human side because that day they all are one – French. He wants to highlight all the factors that have contributed to the sad news. He is the one who guides the French people who have gathered in the class. M Hamel concludes that their weakness and insincerity has led to the announcement that the opponent country has snatched their mother tongue from them. The Prussians imposed linguistic chauvanism on the French because the French were careless and procrastinated studying the mother tongue. Now, through their language, the opponent aims to snatch their nationality.


 

Question. How does M Hamel stress on the importance of education?

Ans. M Hamel says that learning one’s language is important because language is connected to nationality. The french have been in a habit of putting off studies to the next day. This has led them to become a victim of linguistic chauvanism imposed by the Prussians. M Hamel points out that the parents also should realize the importance of educating their children. Instead of sending them to farms ormills to earn some extra money, they should send them to school. He also feels himself to be guilty of sending the students to his home to water flowers instead of studying. He would also give them a holiday and go for fishing. He says that they all should remain linked to their mother tongue because it is the key to freedom from slavery. 

 

Character Sketch of Franz

Character sketch of Franz


 

Questions related to the character of Franz

Question. How does the character of Franz depict procrastination?

Ans. Franz is a carefree boy. He dislikes studies. He is not prepared for the test on Participles. He is scared of his teacher. He wishes to run away and spend the day outdoors.
The announcement is a shock for him. He repents procrastinating and the resultant loss of language. His disappointment is shown in his liking for the teacher, his keenness to study, the interest that he develops in the lesson taught that day.
Franz represents the general French people who indulge in procrastination. The social set up and the family system discourages education.


 

Question. Being a young boy, Franz is careless and immature. Discuss.

Ans. Franz is a carefree boy like most children are. He is not serious towards academics and enjoys playing in the open.
He doesn’t understand the lessons taught in the class and fears the teacher as he is not prepared for the test. As he is late for school, he is scared of being punished. On the last day of the French class, he experiences a liking for the teacher and even understands the lesson taught that day. He immaturity is shown from his desperation when he wishes that M Hamel shouldn’t leave.
His innocence is reflected in his inner voice which questions that will the Prussians teach the pigeons also to coo in German.


 

Question. How does Franz show great observational skills?

Ans. Franz is intelligent and has good observation qualities. He notices the changes in his surroundings.
As he reaches school, he notice the strange silence- the hustle-bustle is missing. He is amazed to see the teacher in his fancy formal dress which he only wears on occasions. The presence of the village elders in the class confirm that something unusual is the matter. 


 

Question. How does Franz learn from his mistakes?

Ans. There is a character transformation in Franz from immaturity to realization. The teacher M Hamel is the harbinger of the change which is triggered by the annexation of French districts by Prussia. The Franco-Prussian war leads to Prussian rule in Alsace and Lorraine. There is an announcement that henceforth, German language will be taught in schools instead of French. Thus Franz realizes that he has lost the chance to learn French. He undergoes a sudden change, develops respect and liking for his teacher and even understands the lesson that day. Franz is no longer afraid of M Hamel and he does not want him to leave. This shows that Franz is remorseful and wants to go back and improve his careless acts. From M Hamel’s speech, he realizes the importance of being connected with one’s mother tongue and becomes keen to learn it.


 

Q. Give an overview of the Class 12 English chapter The Last Lesson.

The Last Lesson Overview – The importance of language and its connection with nationalism are the central themes of the chapter “The Last Lesson.” The protagonist of the narrative is a little kid, Franz, whose teacher, M Hamel is compelled to flee his native town in France’s Alsace region because German settlers are annexing it and making German its official language. Now the mother tongue, French will not longer be taught in the schools of French districts of Alsace and Lorraine. Even though it is obvious that his students won’t be able to speak French in the future, the narrator’s French teacher, Monsieur Hamel, is determined to give them one more lesson in the language. The teacher emphasizes that language is an integral element of one’s identity and culture and that its suppression constitutes an act of oppression, as done by the enemy country. The French villagers realize that they have been overpowered by the enemy soldiers because they did not value their country and their mother tongue.

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Class 12 Important Videos Links

Class 12 English Important Questions Videos
Class 12 English Flamingo and Vistas book MCQs Videos
Class 12 Flamingo Book Chapter wise Video Explanation

 

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3 Comments

  1. Rahul
    Rahul on April 28, 2025 at 10:56 am

    Excellent, high standard, explanation based on competition point of view. Study material for those woh want to become highly analytical, talented, skilled in their field

    Reply
    • admin
      admin on April 29, 2025 at 4:44 am

      Hey Rahul, Thank you that you liked this post

      Reply

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