This is a common short-answer exam question from 'The Last Lesson' by Alphonse Daudet, included in the Class 10 English 'Flamingo' textbook.
Story: The Last Lesson by Alphonse Daudet.
Bulletin Board: Displayed an order from Berlin.
Order: French replaced by German in schools of Alsace-Lorraine.
Theme: Love for one's mother tongue and identity.
On the bulletin board outside the town hall, an order from Berlin had been put up.
The order stated that in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine (regions of France that had been taken over by Prussia/Germany after the Franco-Prussian War), only German would be taught from that day onwards. French would no longer be taught.
The young boy Franz was rushing late to school, fearing a scolding from his teacher M. Hamel about participles he hadn't learned. When he saw people crowded around the bulletin board, he thought it was some bad news — but continued to school.
He was shocked to find the classroom silent and solemn. M. Hamel announced it was their last French lesson.
This order from Berlin represented the loss of a nation's language and identity — a powerful metaphor for colonialism. The story shows that when a people are enslaved, losing their language is one of the greatest tragedies.
An order from Berlin had been put up on the bulletin board, announcing that only German (not French) would be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine from that day. This meant it was the last French lesson.
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