Objects – teachanyclass.org

Introduction

In 1887, in a small printing shop in Warsaw, a 28-year-old Jewish eye doctor published a 40-page book. The book taught a new language. The doctor's name was Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof. He wrote the book under a pseudonym: Doktoro Esperanto. The word 'Esperanto' meant 'one who hopes' in the new language. Within a few years, the language became known by his pseudonym. Zamenhof was born in Bialystok, a town in what is now Poland but was then part of the Russian Empire. Bialystok was home to many peoples — Poles, Russians, Germans, Belarusians, and a large Jewish community, including Zamenhof's own family. The peoples spoke different languages and often distrusted each other. Zamenhof grew up watching this. He believed that if everyone could speak one common second language, they would understand each other better and fight less. He spent his teenage years and his twenties designing such a language. The result was Esperanto. The grammar fits on one page. There are no irregular verbs. Words are built by combining roots and prefixes. The vocabulary draws from Latin, Romance languages, Germanic languages, and Slavic languages — a European mixture, with global ambitions. By the 1890s, Esperanto clubs were forming across Europe. In 1905, the first World Esperanto Congress met in the French town of Boulogne-sur-Mer. Hundreds of people came from many countries. They could speak to each other in Esperanto. They adopted a flag — green for hope, white for peace, a five-pointed star for the five continents. The language and its flag spread through the 20th century, surviving two world wars and the Holocaust. This lesson asks who Esperanto is for, what its symbols mean, and what the world's longest-lasting attempt at a common second language teaches about hope, history, and what people can build together.

The object

Origin: Created by Esperanto speakers (Esperantists) in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The green star design was first proposed in 1892. The full flag was adopted at the first World Esperanto Congress in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, in 1905. The language itself was created in 1887 by Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof, a Jewish eye doctor in Bialystok, then part of the Russian Empire.
Period: The flag has been used continuously since 1905. The green star symbol since 1892. Esperanto itself since the publication of 'Unua Libro' (First Book) in 1887. The flag has flown through two world wars, the Holocaust, the Cold War, and into the present.
Made of: Cloth, paper, plastic, or metal — many forms. The flag is usually cloth. Small green star pins are made of metal or enamel. The symbol also appears in books, on letters, on Esperanto websites, and as digital images. Esperanto speakers wear green star pins to recognise each other in public.
Size: The flag has standard proportions of 3:2 (length to height), with a white square in the upper canton equal to half the flag's height, and a green star inside the square. Lapel pins are typically 1 to 2 centimetres across. The symbol works at any size.
Number of objects: Many tens of thousands of Esperanto flags are in use, plus countless pins, badges, and digital images. The Esperanto-speaking community is estimated at between 100,000 fluent speakers and 2 million people with some knowledge, with about 1,000 to 2,000 native speakers (denaskuloj).
Where it is now: Wherever Esperanto speakers gather. Major annual events include the World Esperanto Congress (Universala Kongreso), held since 1905 in a different city each year. The Universal Esperanto Association (UEA) is based in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Active Esperanto communities exist in Europe, East Asia, South America, and many other places.

Before you teach this — reflect

Questions for you

The Esperanto movement is a living international community with members on every continent. How will you teach it as real, not as a curiosity?
Zamenhof was Jewish, and his three children died in the Holocaust. How will you mention this with the gravity it deserves, without graphic detail?
Esperanto has been criticised as too European. How will you handle this fairly, acknowledging real strengths and real limitations?

Common student difficulties — tick any you have noticed

My students may not know that Esperanto is a real language, made by a single person in 1887, with real speakers and a real international community today.
My students may not know that Zamenhof was a Jewish doctor from Bialystok in what is now Poland, and that his motivation came from watching the ethnic conflicts of his hometown.
My students may not know that Esperanto has between 100,000 fluent speakers and up to 2 million people with some knowledge, with about 1,000 to 2,000 people who learned it as their first language (called 'denaskuloj').
My students may not know that the World Esperanto Congress has been held nearly every year since 1905, in a different city each time.
My students may not know that Zamenhof's three children died in the Holocaust, and that the Nazis targeted Esperantists as part of their broader campaigns.
My students may not realise that there are other constructed languages (Volapuk, Ido, Klingon, Toki Pona, and many more), but Esperanto is by far the most successful.

Discovery sequence

1

Imagine being a teenager and deciding to invent a language. Not a code, not a secret pretend-language between friends — a real language, with its own grammar, its own vocabulary, its own poetry, that strangers in other countries could learn and use to talk to each other. This is what Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof did. He grew up in Bialystok in the 1860s and 1870s. The town was home to four main peoples — Russians, Poles, Germans, and Jews — speaking four different languages and often hostile to each other. Zamenhof later wrote that as a child he saw constant misunderstandings, suspicions, and fights between the groups, and concluded that 'the diversity of languages is the essence, or at least the chief cause, of human misery'. He started designing a common language as a teenager. He worked on it through medical school. By 1885, he had finished his first version. He spent two years trying to find a publisher. Finally, in 1887, his father-in-law paid for the printing of a small book called 'Unua Libro' (First Book) — a 40-page introduction to the language, published in Russian, then translated quickly into Polish, French, German, and English. Why might one person decide to invent a language?

Points to consider (for the teacher)

For different reasons through history. Some have invented languages for fiction (Tolkien for his books, the inventors of Klingon for Star Trek, the inventor of Dothraki for Game of Thrones). Some have invented languages for philosophy (the 17th-century logicians who wanted a language without ambiguity). Some have invented languages for diplomacy (Volapuk, a few years before Esperanto). Some have invented languages for play (Toki Pona, made of just 120 words). Zamenhof's reason was political. He believed that ethnic conflict came from misunderstanding, and that misunderstanding came from different languages. If everyone could speak the same second language — not replacing their first language, but adding to it — the conflicts might lessen. Esperanto is a language designed for peace. It is not just a technical exercise. It is a moral project. Students should see that languages can be invented for reasons. Most languages just grew. Esperanto was built. The building itself is a kind of statement: that language is not fate, that humans can choose how they communicate, that better tools for talking might lead to less fighting. Whether this hope is realistic is a question the lesson will return to.

2

The flag of Esperanto is full of meaning. The green field stands for hope — green being the colour Zamenhof said was associated with hope in his time. The white square stands for peace and neutrality — Esperanto belonging to no country, no religion, no political side. The five points of the green star stand for the five continents (Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, Oceania) — Esperanto for the whole world. The flag was adopted at the first World Esperanto Congress in 1905. The Congress met in Boulogne-sur-Mer, a French port town across the English Channel from Britain. About 700 people came from many countries. They could all speak to each other. Witnesses described it as a kind of small miracle — strangers from Germany and France, from Russia and Britain, from Sweden and Spain, all conversing easily. The meeting passed a Declaration of Boulogne, defining what Esperanto was and what it was not. The flag was approved. From that year, World Esperanto Congresses have been held nearly every year, in a different city. The 2024 Congress was in Arusha, Tanzania. The 2025 Congress was in Brno, Czech Republic. Why might a language have a flag?

Points to consider (for the teacher)

Because the speakers wanted a way to recognise each other and to show solidarity. Esperanto has no country. It belongs to no nation, no government, no army. The flag is not a state flag — it cannot be raised over any embassy. It is a community flag, like the rainbow flag of LGBTQ+ communities, or the union flags of trade unions, or the green flag of the environmental movement. It says: we belong to this idea. We are people who speak this language and share this hope. The little green star pin that many Esperantists wear on their lapel or jacket serves the same purpose. In a foreign city, an Esperantist sees the green star on a stranger and knows: that person is one of us. We can speak. Students should see that flags do not need to belong to countries. Many of the most meaningful flags in modern history belong to movements, communities, and ideas. The Esperanto flag is a good example. It has flown over a community without a state for 120 years.

3

Esperanto faced the violent 20th century. Two world wars, the Holocaust, the Cold War — all of these affected Esperantists. In the First World War, Esperantists tried to maintain communication across enemy lines. Some Esperanto magazines continued to publish, with subscribers in many countries. The League of Nations briefly debated adopting Esperanto as an official working language in 1920. France blocked the proposal, fearing it would weaken French. Esperanto was officially recommended for use in schools by the League's Education Committee in 1922. The Second World War was much worse. Adolf Hitler attacked Esperanto in 'Mein Kampf', calling it part of an imagined Jewish conspiracy. The Nazis arrested Esperanto activists, banned the Esperanto association in Germany, and targeted Esperantists in occupied countries. Zamenhof had died in 1917, before either war. His three children — Adam, Sofia, and Lidia — all died in the Holocaust. Adam was shot by the Nazis in 1940. Sofia and Lidia were murdered at the Treblinka extermination camp in 1942. Many other Esperantists from Jewish communities across Europe were also among the six million Jews murdered in the Shoah. In the Soviet Union, Stalin's government persecuted Esperantists in the 1930s as 'cosmopolitans' and 'spies', sending many to the Gulag or to their deaths. How did Esperanto survive this?

Points to consider (for the teacher)

It survived because the language had spread beyond any one government. By the 1930s, there were Esperantists in many countries, including ones the Nazis and Soviets did not control. The World Esperanto Congresses, paused during the wars, resumed soon after. The Universal Esperanto Association, based in the Netherlands, continued its work. After the Second World War, UNESCO formally recognised Esperanto in 1954 for its contributions to international understanding. Esperanto did not become a world language as Zamenhof had hoped, but it did not die either. Students should see that the violent history of the 20th century touched Esperanto deeply. The dream of one peaceful international language survived a period in which exactly the opposite was happening — language was being used as a marker for who lived and who died. The Zamenhof family's loss is one specific example of a wider tragedy. Treating it with respect, without dwelling on graphic detail, is the right approach. The deeper point is that Esperanto kept going. The dream survived even when many of the dreamers did not.

4

What is Esperanto like today? Estimates of speakers vary widely. The lowest serious figures suggest 100,000 fluent speakers. The highest estimates go up to 2 million people with some knowledge. About 1,000 to 2,000 people are 'denaskuloj' — people who learned Esperanto from their parents at home as their first language. Esperanto is the only constructed language with native speakers. The community has many forms. The World Esperanto Congress meets every year, in a different city, with several hundred to several thousand participants. There is a global organisation called Pasporta Servo (Passport Service) — a network of Esperantists who offer free overnight stays in their homes to other Esperantists travelling through. There are Esperanto books, songs, films, podcasts, and a Wikipedia (Vikipedio) with about 385,000 articles. Esperanto is one of the languages on Duolingo, the language-learning app, with hundreds of thousands of users. There are Esperanto radio stations broadcasting on the internet. The language is not without critics. Some say it is too European — most of its vocabulary comes from European languages, which makes it easier for Europeans than for, say, Chinese or Arabic speakers. Some say its grammar shows masculine forms as the default. Some say it has not achieved Zamenhof's dream and never will. Others see real value. Esperanto is by far the most successful constructed language. Some say learning it is a stepping stone to other languages — a kind of 'language gym' that makes later language learning easier. Some see it as a daily small act of internationalism — a refusal to accept that English (or any other dominant language) should be the only common tongue. Some just love the language and the community. Is Esperanto a success or a failure?

Points to consider (for the teacher)

Both, depending on what you measure. If the measure is 'did Esperanto become the world's common second language?', then it is a failure — that has not happened, and is not happening. If the measure is 'did Esperanto build a real international community that has lasted for over 130 years?', then it is a success — the community exists, the language is alive, and the green star is recognised in many countries. If the measure is 'did Esperanto improve the world?', the answer is unclear — it has helped some individual people and built some genuine connections, but it has not stopped wars or ended discrimination. Strong answers will see that 'success or failure' is the wrong frame. Esperanto is a long-running experiment in voluntary international cooperation. It is also a piece of cultural history that survived the worst of the 20th century. It is also a reminder that humans can choose to build things that do not exist yet. Whether those things grow or stay small, they are still real. The Esperanto flag still flies. The green star is still worn. The story is not closed.

What this object teaches

Esperanto is a planned international language created by Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof, a Jewish eye doctor from Bialystok in what is now Poland (then part of the Russian Empire). He published his first textbook in 1887 under the pseudonym 'Doktoro Esperanto' (Doctor Hopeful). Zamenhof wanted a neutral common language to reduce ethnic conflict, which he had witnessed growing up in a multi-ethnic town. The language has a simple regular grammar that fits on a single page and a vocabulary drawn from many European languages. The Esperanto flag was adopted at the first World Esperanto Congress in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, in 1905 — green for hope, white for peace, with a five-pointed green star representing the five continents. The language and movement spread across the world. Esperanto survived major attacks in the 20th century. The Nazis persecuted Esperantists and murdered Zamenhof's three children in the Holocaust; the Stalinist Soviet Union sent many Esperantists to the Gulag. The community survived because it had spread beyond any one country. Today, Esperanto is the most successful constructed language by far, with estimates ranging from 100,000 fluent speakers to 2 million people with some knowledge, and about 1,000 to 2,000 native speakers. World Esperanto Congresses are held every year in a different city. Esperanto is one of the languages on Duolingo. The Esperanto Wikipedia has nearly 400,000 articles. The dream of one universal common language has not been fulfilled, but the community remains a real, living, international one.

Date	Event	What changed
1859	Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof born in Bialystok, in the Russian Empire (now Poland)	Grew up in a multi-ethnic town with constant language tensions
1887	Zamenhof publishes 'Unua Libro' (First Book) in Warsaw	Esperanto introduced to the public; clubs begin forming across Europe
1892	Green star proposed as Esperanto symbol	The community begins to have its own visible identity
1905	First World Esperanto Congress in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France	700 people from many countries meet, speak Esperanto, and adopt the flag
1917	Zamenhof dies in Warsaw	The founder is gone, but the movement continues
1920	Esperanto debated as official language of League of Nations	France blocks adoption; Esperanto remains an unofficial community language
1940-42	Zamenhof's children Adam, Sofia, and Lidia murdered in the Holocaust	Many Esperantists lost; community devastated in occupied Europe
1954	UNESCO formally recognises Esperanto	International institutional acknowledgement of the movement's contribution
Today	Esperanto remains the most successful constructed language	Annual congresses continue; the green star still flies; the community is global

Key words

Esperanto

A constructed international language created by Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof and first published in 1887. Designed as a neutral common second language to ease communication between people of different native languages. The name comes from Zamenhof's pseudonym 'Doktoro Esperanto', meaning 'Doctor Hopeful'.

Example: A simple Esperanto sentence: 'Saluton, mi nomighas Maria, kaj mi parolas Esperanton.' (Hello, my name is Maria, and I speak Esperanto.) The grammar is regular — every noun ends in -o, every adjective in -a, every adverb in -e, every verb has predictable endings.

Verda stelo (green star)

The Esperanto symbol. A five-pointed green star, often shown on a white field. The five points represent the five continents. The green represents hope. Worn as a small pin by many Esperantists to recognise each other in public.

Example: Esperanto travellers often wear a small green star pin on their jacket. When two strangers see each other's pins in an airport or train station, they know they can speak Esperanto together.

Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof

The Jewish eye doctor (1859-1917) from Bialystok in the Russian Empire who created Esperanto. He published his first textbook under the pseudonym 'Doktoro Esperanto' in 1887. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize 14 times but never won.

Example: Zamenhof's three children — Adam, Sofia, and Lidia — were all murdered by the Nazis in the Holocaust. His granddaughter Hanna Zaru, who survived, kept the Esperanto tradition alive in the family.

Unua Libro (First Book)

The original Esperanto textbook, published by Zamenhof in Warsaw in 1887. Just 40 pages. Contained the basic grammar and a vocabulary list. The grammar took up only 16 simple rules.

Example: Zamenhof published the book under a pseudonym because he was worried about professional consequences. As an eye doctor, he had a serious career to protect. The pseudonym 'Esperanto' eventually became the name of the language itself.

Universala Kongreso (World Esperanto Congress)

The annual gathering of Esperantists from around the world. Held nearly every year since 1905, in a different city each time. Several hundred to several thousand people attend.

Example: The 1905 first Congress in Boulogne-sur-Mer had 700 participants. Recent Congresses have been held in places as varied as Seoul (2017), Lisbon (2018), Lahti (2019), Montreal (2022), Turin (2023), Arusha (2024), and Brno (2025).

Denaskulo

An Esperanto word meaning 'one from birth'. Used to describe people who learned Esperanto from their parents at home as a first language, alongside or instead of any other family language. There are an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 denaskuloj worldwide.

Example: Esperanto is the only constructed language with native speakers. Denaskuloj usually grow up bilingual or trilingual, with Esperanto as one of their home languages.

Use this in other subjects

Language: Compare Esperanto's grammar with the grammar of your own language. Esperanto has 16 basic rules, no irregular verbs, regular endings. Most natural languages have many exceptions. Discuss: what is gained by simplicity? What is lost? Are there things you can say in a natural language that you cannot say in a designed one?
History: Build a timeline of Esperanto and the 20th century: language created (1887), first Congress (1905), First World War, Zamenhof's death (1917), League of Nations debate (1920), rise of Nazis and Stalinists, Holocaust deaths including Zamenhof's children (1940-42), Second World War, UNESCO recognition (1954), Cold War, modern community. Esperanto lived through everything.
Ethics: Zamenhof believed that ethnic conflict came from misunderstanding, and that a common language could reduce conflict. Discuss: is this true? Have shared languages stopped wars in human history? Strong answers will see that this is a real philosophical question with no clear answer. Speakers of the same language have fought many bitter wars.
Citizenship: The Esperanto community is an international community without a state. Discuss other examples of communities that cross national borders — religious communities, scientific communities, sports communities, online communities. What does it mean to belong to a community that does not match the country you live in?
Art: Design a symbol or flag for an idea you care about — peace, learning, environmental care, friendship. The symbol should have a meaning that someone unfamiliar with it could begin to guess. Display the designs. Discuss: the Esperanto green star is a model of how a small symbol can carry a big idea.
Geography: On a world map, mark places where Esperanto has been important — Bialystok (where it was created), Warsaw (where it was first published), Boulogne-sur-Mer (where the first Congress met), Rotterdam (where the Universal Esperanto Association is based), and cities of recent Congresses. The language is genuinely global, with no single homeland.

Common misconceptions

Wrong

Esperanto is a fake language that nobody really speaks.

Right

Esperanto is a real language with real grammar, real literature, real songs, and real speakers. Estimates range from 100,000 fluent speakers to 2 million with some knowledge, with about 1,000 to 2,000 native speakers. World Esperanto Congresses have met almost every year since 1905.

Why

Calling Esperanto 'fake' misses that it works as a language. Real conversations happen in it every day. Real books are written in it. Real families raise children in it.

Wrong

Esperanto is mostly a hobby for amateur linguists.

Right

Esperanto is a community that includes some linguists but is much broader. Members include teachers, scientists, artists, doctors, writers, students, and ordinary people of many ages and backgrounds. The Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros grew up speaking Esperanto at home.

Why

'Just a hobby' makes it sound trivial. The truth is that Esperanto is a community with serious participants doing serious work, alongside many who enjoy it as a hobby.

Wrong

Esperanto was a complete failure because it did not become the world language.

Right

Esperanto did not become the world language Zamenhof hoped for. But it became the most successful constructed language ever made, and it built a real international community that has lasted for over 130 years. It survived the World Wars, the Holocaust, and Stalinist persecution. By many measures, it is a success.

Why

'Complete failure' applies the wrong standard. Esperanto did not become English. It did become a real, lasting community, which is rare for any constructed language.

Wrong

Esperanto is too European to be a real international language.

Right

Esperanto's vocabulary does draw heavily from European languages, which is a real limitation that has been openly debated within the community. But its grammar is simpler than most natural languages, and Esperanto-speaking communities exist in East Asia, South America, Africa, and elsewhere. The criticism is real, but it is not a complete picture.

Why

This is one of the few criticisms of Esperanto that has real force, but it is also more complicated than the simple version suggests. Real Esperantists from many cultures use the language daily.

Teaching this with care

Treat Esperanto as a real living language with a real living community, not as a historical curiosity or a quirky hobby. The community is genuinely international, with members on every continent. Use proper terms — Esperanto (the language), Esperantist (a speaker), Esperantujo (the loose 'Esperanto-land' of all speakers), verda stelo (green star), Universala Kongreso (World Congress), Unua Libro (First Book), denaskuloj (native speakers). Pronounce 'Esperanto' as 'es-pe-RAHN-toh'. Pronounce 'Zamenhof' as 'ZAH-men-hof'. Pronounce 'Bialystok' as roughly 'bya-WIS-tok' (Polish pronunciation). Be honest about Zamenhof's background. He was Jewish, and his Jewishness was central to who he was and why he made Esperanto. He grew up in Bialystok, in a Jewish community of about 65,000 people. He spoke Yiddish at home as a child, alongside Russian and Polish. His vision of a peaceful international language came from a man who knew, every day of his life, what it was to be a minority in a hostile world. Be honest about the Holocaust. Zamenhof's three children — Adam, Sofia, and Lidia — were all murdered by the Nazis between 1940 and 1942. Many other Esperantists from Jewish communities across Europe were among the 6 million Jews murdered. Mention this with the gravity it deserves. Do not dwell on graphic detail. Do not universalise it — this was specifically antisemitic violence as well as the broader Nazi attack on Esperanto. Use 'Holocaust' or 'Shoah' — both are valid. Be honest about Stalinist persecution. Many Soviet Esperantists were sent to the Gulag or killed during the 1930s purges, on charges of being 'cosmopolitans' and 'spies'. This is a separate but parallel tragedy. Be balanced on the criticisms of Esperanto. The 'too European' criticism is real and Esperantists themselves have debated it. The grammar's masculine-default forms are also debated. Some Esperantists have proposed reforms. The lesson should present the criticisms fairly without either dismissing them or treating them as fatal. If you have students of Polish, Jewish, or any other background that connects to this story, give them space to share but do not put them on the spot. Avoid the lazy 'utopian failure' framing. The Esperanto movement is many things — a hope, a community, a piece of history, a daily practice — but 'utopian failure' captures none of them well. Finally, end the lesson on the present. The green star is still being worn. The Congress is still being held every year. The language is still being spoken. The story is not closed.

Check what students have understood

Answer each question in one or two sentences. Use what you have learned about Esperanto and its flag.

Who created Esperanto, and why?

Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof, a Jewish eye doctor from Bialystok in the Russian Empire (now Poland), created Esperanto. He published the first textbook in 1887. He had grown up in a multi-ethnic town with constant conflicts between language groups, and believed that a common second language could reduce misunderstanding and ease ethnic conflict.

Marking note: Award full marks for any answer that names Zamenhof and gives some version of his motivation. The 1887 date is a bonus.
What do the colours and the star on the Esperanto flag mean?

The green field stands for hope. The white square stands for peace and neutrality. The five points of the green star stand for the five continents (Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, Oceania) — Esperanto for the whole world.

Marking note: Strong answers will mention all three elements (green for hope, white for peace, star for the five continents). Two out of three earns most marks.
How did Esperanto come through the violent 20th century?

It survived, but with serious losses. The Nazis persecuted Esperantists and murdered Zamenhof's three children in the Holocaust. The Stalinist Soviet Union sent many Esperantists to the Gulag. But the community had spread beyond any one country, and after the wars the World Esperanto Congresses resumed. In 1954, UNESCO formally recognised Esperanto.

Marking note: Award full marks for any answer that mentions the persecution and the survival. Naming either the Nazis or the Stalinists, plus the survival, is enough for most marks.
How many people speak Esperanto today?

Estimates vary widely. The lowest serious figures suggest 100,000 fluent speakers. The highest estimates go up to 2 million people with some knowledge. About 1,000 to 2,000 people are native speakers (denaskuloj), having learned Esperanto from their parents.

Marking note: Award full marks for any answer that recognises the wide range of estimates and mentions a number in that range.
Is Esperanto a success or a failure?

It depends on the standard. Esperanto did not become the world's common second language as Zamenhof hoped. But it built a real international community that has lasted for over 130 years, is by far the most successful constructed language, has hundreds of thousands of books and a major Wikipedia, and continues to grow on the internet. Strong answers will see that 'success or failure' is the wrong question.

Marking note: Strong answers will see that both sides have a real argument and avoid a simple yes or no.

Discuss together

These questions have no single right answer. Talk in pairs or small groups, then share your ideas with the class.

Zamenhof believed that ethnic conflict comes from language differences, and that a common language would reduce conflict. Do you think he was right?

This is a deep philosophical question. Push students to think hard. Strong answers will see that Zamenhof's idea has some truth — communication does help — but is also incomplete. Speakers of the same language have fought many wars. The English Civil War was between English speakers. The American Civil War was between English speakers. The Rwandan genocide was largely between speakers of the same language (Kinyarwanda). Language differences can intensify conflict, but they do not cause it. The deeper causes — power, resources, history, fear — are often beneath the language differences. Zamenhof saw this partly. He never claimed Esperanto would solve all conflict. But he hoped it would help. Whether it has, or could, is a real question with no easy answer. End by asking: what else, besides a common language, might reduce conflict?
Esperanto belongs to no country. The flag of Esperanto is flown by a community, not a state. Are flags better when they belong to ideas instead of countries?

This is a creative question. Students may suggest: flags of ideas are voluntary (people choose to fly them) while flags of countries are usually inherited; flags of ideas can cross borders while country flags divide them; flags of countries have power because they represent real states while flags of ideas may be weaker. All of these have merit. The deeper point is that humans have always used symbols to organise themselves, both around states and around ideas. The Esperanto flag, the rainbow flag, the Earth flag, the red cross, the United Nations flag — all of these are flags of ideas, not countries. They exist alongside country flags. Both are real. End by asking: are there ideas in your life that you would fly a flag for?
If you could choose any language for everyone in the world to learn as a second language, what would you choose? Esperanto? English? Mandarin? Something else?

This is a question that brings the lesson home. Push students to think about what makes a good 'world second language'. Some criteria: ease of learning (Esperanto wins), number of current speakers (English or Mandarin), cultural prestige (English), neutrality (Esperanto — belongs to no country), practical usefulness (English in many fields). The deeper point is that any choice has costs. Choosing English gives a huge advantage to native English speakers. Choosing Mandarin gives an advantage to Chinese speakers. Choosing Esperanto gives advantages to people whose first language is European. There is no perfect choice. Whatever the world chooses (and right now it is mostly choosing English by default), some people benefit more than others. End by saying that this is one of the real political questions of our time, and that thoughtful people will disagree.

Teaching sequence

THE HOOK (5 min)

Without saying anything about the lesson, ask: 'Could one person invent a new language?' Take guesses. Then say: 'Yes — and the most successful case is Esperanto, created in 1887 by a Jewish eye doctor in what is now Poland. Over 130 years later, his language is still spoken by hundreds of thousands of people across the world. We are going to find out about it.'
INTRODUCE THE OBJECT (10 min)

Show the Esperanto flag (sketch on the board if no image is available). Describe it: green field, white square in the upper left, green five-pointed star in the white square. Adopted in 1905. Pause and ask: 'What might each part mean?' Listen to guesses. Then give the answers: green for hope, white for peace, five points for the five continents.
WHO MADE ESPERANTO (15 min)

Tell the story: Zamenhof grew up in Bialystok, a town in the Russian Empire with four main peoples often in conflict. He decided as a teenager to invent a language to help them understand each other. He published it in 1887. The community grew. Then the violent 20th century arrived. Zamenhof's three children were murdered in the Holocaust. Many other Esperantists were lost. But the community survived. Today there are between 100,000 and 2 million speakers. Discuss: how did one person's idea, made in a small Polish town, become an international community?
THE STAR ACTIVITY (10 min)

Each student draws a small green five-pointed star, large enough to see, on a small piece of paper. They write next to it one thing they hope for in the world. Collect the stars. Display them. Discuss: a green star is just a small symbol, but it can carry a big hope. The Esperantist who wears a green star pin is saying: I belong to a community that hopes for international understanding. What other small symbols carry big hopes?
CLOSING (5 min)

Ask: 'Esperanto did not become the world's common language as Zamenhof hoped. Was it still worth doing?' Take a few honest answers. End by saying: 'Zamenhof died in 1917. He did not see his children murdered. He did not see his language survive the wars he could not have imagined. He worked his whole life on a hope that has not come true the way he hoped. But the green star is still being worn. The Congress is still being held. The language is still being spoken. Sometimes a hope does not need to come fully true to be worth working for. The Esperanto flag is a daily reminder of that.'

Classroom materials

Sixteen Rules

Instructions: Tell the students that Esperanto's grammar fits on one page — just 16 basic rules. Show some of them on the board: every noun ends in -o (libro = book, hundo = dog, amiko = friend); every adjective in -a (granda = big); the plural is -j (libroj = books); the past tense uses -is. Try a few simple translations. The point is that a designed language can be simpler than a natural one.

Example: In Mrs Nowak's class, students tried translating: 'The big dog likes books.' The class came up with 'La granda hundo amas librojn.' The teacher said: 'You have just spoken a sentence of Esperanto. The whole language has 16 basic rules. You learned three of them in five minutes. That is the design Zamenhof made.'

Bialystok

Instructions: On the board, draw a simple map of Bialystok in 1880. Show four neighbourhoods: Polish, Russian, German, Jewish. Show that each spoke a different language and often distrusted the others. Explain that Zamenhof, a Jewish boy, grew up watching this. Discuss: this is where Esperanto came from. Not from an academic study, but from a child's experience of a divided town.

Example: In Mr Goldberg's class, students were struck by the simple fact that a child's daily experience of ethnic conflict led, decades later, to a language spoken on every continent. The teacher said: 'Zamenhof did not just write about peace. He built a tool for it. The tool may not have ended conflict, but it became something. Sometimes great ideas come from very ordinary places — like one boy watching his neighbours misunderstand each other.'

Symbols of Ideas

Instructions: In small groups, students list as many symbols as they can think of that belong to ideas rather than countries. Possible answers: the rainbow flag (LGBTQ+), the red cross (humanitarian aid), the dove (peace), the recycling symbol (environment), the heart (love), the equality sign (equality movements), the peace symbol (anti-war). Each group shares. Discuss: the green star of Esperanto is one of many symbols of ideas. Ideas can carry their own flags.

Example: In Ms Patel's class, students listed twelve different symbols of ideas. The teacher said: 'You have just discovered that the world is full of flags that belong to ideas. The Esperanto green star is one. There are many others. Each one says: there is a community of people who care about this thing, and we want a way to find each other.'

Where to go next

Try a lesson on the Nansen passport for another object that crosses borders without belonging to any country.
Try a lesson on the Yiddish prayer book for another object deeply tied to the Jewish history of pre-war Europe.
Try a lesson on the wampum belt for another object that records hope and agreement between peoples.
Connect this lesson to history class with a longer project on the international peace movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries — Esperanto was one of many such efforts that the World Wars interrupted.
Connect this lesson to language class with a longer project on constructed languages, including Volapuk, Ido, Toki Pona, Klingon, Quenya, and Dothraki. Each has its own story.
Connect this lesson to citizenship class with a longer discussion of international cooperation. The Esperanto movement is one of the longest-running examples in modern history of people building something across borders without any government's help.

Key takeaways

Esperanto is a constructed international language created in 1887 by Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof, a Jewish eye doctor from Bialystok in the Russian Empire (now Poland). It is the most successful constructed language ever made.
Zamenhof's motivation came from growing up in a multi-ethnic town with constant language conflicts. He believed a neutral common second language could reduce misunderstanding and ease ethnic tension.
The Esperanto flag — green for hope, white for peace, with a five-pointed star for the five continents — was adopted at the first World Esperanto Congress in 1905. The same flag is still used today.
The Esperanto community survived the violent 20th century, including major attacks. The Nazis murdered Zamenhof's three children in the Holocaust. The Stalinist Soviet Union sent many Esperantists to the Gulag. The community continued because it had spread beyond any one country.
Today there are estimates of between 100,000 fluent speakers and 2 million people with some knowledge of Esperanto, with about 1,000 to 2,000 native speakers (denaskuloj). World Esperanto Congresses are held every year in a different city.
Esperanto did not become the world's universal common language as Zamenhof had hoped, but it built a real, lasting international community without belonging to any country. The green star is still worn. The dream is still alive.

Sources

Esperanto — Wikipedia (2026) [encyclopedia]
Esperanto symbols — Wikipedia (2025) [encyclopedia]
Bridge of Words: Esperanto and the Dream of a Universal Language — Esther Schor (2016) [academic]
What Is Esperanto, And Who Speaks It? — Babbel Magazine (2025) [news]
Universala Esperanto-Asocio (Universal Esperanto Association) — UEA (2024) [institution]

Choose your language

The Green Star: A Flag for a Language With No Country

Questions for you

Common student difficulties — tick any you have noticed