Question

Explain the figurative language in the following quotation from paragraph 23. What is the purpose of this comparison? “For that day Monsieur Hamel had prepared some entirely new examples, on which was written in a fine, round hand: ‘France, Alsace, France, Alsace.’ They were like little flags, waving all about the class, hanging from the rods of our desks.”

Answer 1

Answer:

The words ‘France, Alsace, France, Alsace’ represent Monsieur Hamel's patriotism and his love for France. The little boy Franz compares the papers with these words to flags representing France's and Alsace's freedom.

Explanation:

The Last Lesson – The Story of a Little Alsatian, by Alphonse Daudet is set at the time of the Franco-Prussian war. Alsace, reclaimed from Germany by France in the WW1, is a disputed territory between the two countries.

The Last Lesson narrates the story of an Alsatian boy, Franz, who is overwhelmed by his teacher, Mr. Hamel's patriotism. Monsieur Hamel, who has been teaching French at Franz's school for twenty years, announces that orders from Berlin have banned French. Monsieur Hamel hands out a writing assignment to the children with the words, ‘France, Alsace, France, Alsace’ written on them. Later, while bidding farewell, Monsieur is too emotional to express his feelings so he writes Viva La France i.e. Long Live France on the board.