Then, from one thing to another, M. Hamel went on to talk of the French language, saying that it was the most beautiful language in the world — the clearest, the most logical; that we must guard it among us and never forget it, because when a people are enslaved, as long as they hold fast to their language it is as if they had the key to their prison.
I hadnt understood the meaning of sentences in bold . Please explain it to me.
Dear student,
By saying this, M. Hamel meant that safeguarding their language (i.e. French) by learning and speaking in French, could help the enslaved France gain freedom from Prussia. Thus, it could serve as a ray of hope in times of enslavement and captivity.
Regards