Answer any one of the following questions in 120 – 150 words:

(a) Everybody during the last lesson was filled with regret. Comment.

(b) Why is the Champaran episode considered to be the beginning of the Indian struggle for independence?

(c) It is not unusual for a lower middle class girl to dream big. How unrealistic were Sophie’s dreams?

(a) The story ‘Last Lesson’ is about France when it lost the districts of Alsace and Lorraine to the Prussians. Everybody during the last lesson is filled with regret since it was their last French lesson and yet they did not have a grip on their very own language. They were going to be taught Prussian from the next day. M. Hamel blames the people for being so casual and neglected the learning of French language. He also points towards the unsatisfactory progress of the students learning French. And lastly, he also blames himself as he had been careless sometimes and sent the children on personal errands. He would send his students to water his plants and would give holidays whenever he wished to enjoy fishing. M.Hamel had given 40 years of service as a teacher and regretted that he could not make the best out of it. At the end he was filled with grief and couldn’t speak anymore and went on to write ‘La Vida France’ meaning long live France on the black board.

(b) The Champaran episode considered to be the beginning of the Indian struggle for independence because it was the first mass movement that Gandhi Ji had led. After he reached Motihari and started investigating about the situation of indigo sharecroppers he was asked to quit Champaran. He signed the order with a decision to disobey it. He also informed Rajendra Prasad about this and asked him to arrive with his influential friends. People had gathered in such large number to give court arrest that the British officials had to request Gandhi to ask them to leave. It was the first time when the British felt helpless and voices were raised against injustice. It was a great moral victory because the people had learned that they had the power to fight and realised there rights. They no longer feared the British and were ready to face them.

(c) It is not unusual for a lower middle class girl to dream big. But Sophie did not agree to accept this reality. Sophie was a day dreamer who lives in a world full of dreams which she does not know she cannot realize. A person must learn to maintain a healthy balance between fantasies and reality. Realistic dreams are a means of reaching higher goals and ambitions. She tries to escape the harsh reality of life and has a dream of opening a boutique as her side business. She also dreamt of becoming a successful actress some day. Sophie’s hero worship and fantasizing were in clash with her socio-economic background. She belonged to a family of meagre means and resources. Her extent of dreaming was quite extreme. She had also become prone to telling lies and soon lost the trust of everyone around her.