Read the given extracts and answer the questions for ANY ONE of the two given:

 How does the author use irony in the story? Give an example. 

Answer as written by the student:

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Irony is a literary device that creates a contrast between what is expected and what actually happens. The author uses irony in the story to show the tragic and ironic situation of the French people who are losing their language and culture under the Prussian occupation.  

• For example, one irony is that Franz, who does not like learning French, is suddenly eager to learn it when he finds out that it is his last lesson in French.
•  Another irony is that M. Hamel, who is usually strict and harsh with his students, becomes kind and gentle with them on his last day of teaching.
•   A third irony is that the villagers , who are usually indifferent and ignorant about their language, come to attend the last lesson in French as a sign of respect and solidarity.

Step-by-Step explanation of the answer:

To answer this question, we need to explain what irony is and how it is used in the story. We can use information from the web search results to find out what irony means and some examples of it in the story. 

For example, the third result says: “Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. It may also be a situation that may end up in quite a different way than what is generally anticipated.” This tells us what irony is. The same result also gives some examples of irony in the story, such as: “Franz who hated school suddenly realizes its importance when he learns that it will be his last French lesson … M Hamel who was known for his strictness becomes very kind on his last day … The old men who never bothered about their language come to attend M Hamel’s last class .” These are some examples of irony in the story.

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