CHAPTER-1
A LETTER TO GOD
G L FUENTES✍
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| Lencho busy working in the maize field. |
A LETTER TO GOD SUMMARY
1. Introduction of the Farmer
👉He lived on a lonely hill with his family.
👉His house was the only one in the entire valley.
2. Hope for Rain
👉He was confident that God would help him.
👉He looked at the sky and hoped for a good rainfall.
3. The Rain Turns to Hail
👉But soon the rain turned into a hailstorm.
👉The hailstones destroyed all his crops.
👉It was like a disaster for him; there would be no food that year.
4. Lencho’s Faith in God
5. Writing a Letter to God
👉He wrote with full faith and posted the letter.
6. Postmaster’s Reaction
👉He laughed first but then felt moved by Lencho’s faith.
👉He decided to help Lencho by collecting money.
7. Collection of Money
👉They could only collect 70 pesos, not the full 100.
👉He put the money in an envelope and signed it as “God.”
8. Lencho Receives the Letter
👉But he was angry after counting the money.
👉 He believed God sent the full amount, but the post office employees had stolen 30 pesos.
9. Lencho Writes Another Letter
👉He asked for the rest of the money but also requested not to send it through the post office, because he believed the workers were "a bunch of crooks."
10. Main Theme / Message
👉It also shows the kindness of strangers, like the postmaster.
👉Ironically, it also shows how blind faith can sometimes lead to misunderstanding.
SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
1. ‘The field was white, as if covered with salt.’
This is how the field is described after the hailstorm. The pelting hailstones
could have been easily seen as sugar cubes. Do you think comparing it with sugar
would have been more appropriate? Why/ Why not?
Answer : In my opinion, comparing the hailstones to salt is more appropriate because the hailstorm ruined Lencho's fields. Salt is often linked to
something bitter or unpleasant, which reflects the destruction caused by the storm. On the
other hand, comparing the hailstones to sugar
would suggest something sweet or beneficial, which is not true. The storm
brought loss and sorrow,
not sweetness, as it destroyed all his
crops.
2. Lencho and his family knew the implications the
hailstorm would have on their lives. Write a conversation between Lencho and
his wife as they watched the downpour turn to a hailstorm.
Answer : Lencho and his wife might talk like this:
Lencho: "Look at the rain, it’s coming down hard! I hope it helps our
crops."
Wife: "Yes, but it’s turning into hail. This could ruin
everything!"
Lencho: "We worked so hard. If the hail destroys our crops, how will
we survive?"
Wife: "Stay hopeful, Lencho. We’ll find a way, no matter what."
Lencho: "I’m worried. This storm could take away all we have."
Wife: "Let’s pray and trust that we can get through this
together."
3. Lencho did not bother exploring any other means to
resolve his situation but just turned to God. Do you feel that his approach was
justified? Why/Why not?
Answer : Lencho’s approach of relying solely on God’s help
was not justified as it was illogical. Life has both sorrow and happiness, and
one must be prepared to face challenges. Instead of only praying, he should
have sought help from relatives and worked hard again to recover from his loss.
4. Do you think the post-office employees were ‘a
bunch of crooks’?
Answer : No, the
post-office employees were kind and generous, not a bunch of crooks. The
postmaster contributed part of his salary and encouraged his colleagues to help
Lencho. Their charitable act showed compassion and a desire to support someone
in need.
5. What are the raindrops compared to and why?
Answer : The raindrops were compared to coins. Lencho
compared the big drops to ten-cent and the smaller ones to five-cent coins. He
believed the rain would bring a rich harvest, which would give him more money
and financial stability.
6.
The
postmaster, experiencing the contentment of a man who had performed a good
deed, handed the letter to Lencho. How did Lencho react when he counted the
money ?
Answer : When Lencho counted the money, he
became angry and disappointed. He had asked for 100 pesos but received only 70
pesos. He thought the post-office employees had stolen the remaining money. His
faith in God remained strong, but he believed the employees were a bunch of
crooks.
7. What did Lencho write in his second letter to God?
Why did he ask Him not to send the rest of the money by post mail?
Answer: Lencho wrote to God that he got only 70 pesos
instead of 100. He requested God to send the remaining money as he needed it
badly. But he asked God not to send it by post because he thought the post
office employees were dishonest and had taken some of the money.
8. What idea does the Postmaster come up with? What
did he do to stick to his resolution?
Answer : The postmaster wanted to keep Lencho’s faith in
God intact. To do so, he decided to send him money. Since he couldn’t arrange
the full amount alone, he collected donations from his colleagues. He then
placed 70 pesos in an envelope and waited for Lencho’s visit.
LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTION
1. The postmaster was a representative of God.
Evaluate this statement in the context of your understanding of ‘A Letter to
God”.
Answer: In the story A Letter to God,
the postmaster cannot be called a direct representative of God, but he does act
kindly, like a messenger of hope. When Lencho writes a letter to God asking for
money after his crops are destroyed, the postmaster is touched by his deep
faith. He does not laugh at Lencho. Instead, he collects money from his staff
and friends to help him. Though he cannot give the full amount, he still sends
it with care and love. This shows that the postmaster acted selflessly, like a
good human being. He did not do it for praise but to support someone’s belief
in God. So, while he was not a divine figure, his kind action made him seem
like a helper sent by God to support Lencho in his time of need.
2. Read the given anecdote and analyse the similarities and differences
with reference to ‘A Letter to God’.
A very poor woman called-in a radio station asking for help from God. A
non-believer, also listening to this radio program, decided to make fun of the
woman. He got her address, called his secretary and ordered her to buy food and
take it to the woman.
However, the instruction was: "When the woman asks who sent the food, tell
her that it’s from the devil.''
When the secretary arrived at the woman's house, the woman was very happy and
grateful for the help. The Secretary then asked her, ''Don't you want to know
who sent the food?''
The woman replied, ''No, I don't even care because when God orders, even the devil obeys!
Answer : Both
the anecdote and A Letter to God show the strong faith of poor people in
God’s help during difficult times. In both cases, the main characters believe
that God will send help, and they receive it in surprising ways. Lencho gets
money through post office workers, while the poor woman receives food from a
man who wanted to make fun of her. The similarity is the deep trust in God,
which brings real support.
However,
there are also differences. In A Letter to God, the postmaster and his
team help out of kindness and respect for Lencho’s faith. But in the anecdote,
the man tries to insult the woman’s belief, though the result is still
positive. This shows that true faith can turn even a negative act into a
blessing, proving that belief in God brings strength and hope.
3. Describe
Lencho’s qualities in light of his faith in God. Do you have faith in God like
Lencho?
Was Lencho’s reaction towards post office employees right?
Answer: Lencho was a simple and hardworking farmer who had strong
faith in God. When his crops were destroyed by hail, he completely trusted that
God would help him. He believed that God could never let his family go hungry.
His faith was so deep that he wrote a letter to God asking for money.
Today, such faith is rare, as
people often don’t believe in help without selfish reasons. Even I don’t have
faith as strong as Lencho’s, though I do believe in God.
However, Lencho’s reaction to the post office employees was not right. He
thought they had stolen some of the money because he couldn’t believe that God
would send less. This shows his innocence, but blaming the kind helpers was
unfair. Still, his faith in God was pure and powerful.
EXTRACT BASED QUESTION
EXTRACT-1
Not a leaf remained on the trees.
The corn was totally destroyed. The flowers were gone from the plants. Lencho’s
soul was filled with sadness. When the storm had passed, he stood in the middle
of the field and said to his sons, ‘‘A plague of locusts would have left more
than this. The hail has left nothing. This year we will have no corn.’’
That night was a sorrowful one.
‘‘All our work, for nothing.’’
‘‘There’s no one who can help
us.’’
‘‘We’ll all go hungry this
year.’’
i. Why were there no leaves left on
the trees? 1
(A) The locusts ate them up.
(B) An earthquake had occurred.
(C) There was a hailstorm.
(D) The animals grazed on them.
ii. Fill in the blank with the
correct word from the brackets.
Lencho felt __________ (jubilant/devastated) when he saw his destroyed corn
fields. 1
iii. When Lencho says, ‘‘All our work,
for nothing,’’ what does he refer to? Explain in about 40 words. 2
iv. Why would Lencho have preferred a
plague of locusts to a hailstorm?
ANSWER
i-c, ii- devastated,
iii- When Lencho says “All our work, for nothing,” its means that all the hard
work his family did to grow corn was wasted. The hailstorm destroyed
everything, so they had no crop, no food, and no money.
iv- Lencho thought a plague of locusts was better than a hailstorm because
locusts would eat some crops but leave a little behind. The hailstorm, however,
destroyed everything, leaving nothing for them to eat or sell.
EXTRACT-2
"Yes, God willing”. The older boys were working in the field, while
the smaller ones were playing near the house until the woman called to them
all, “Come for dinner”. It was during the meal that, just as Lencho had
predicted, big drops of rain began to fall. In the north-east huge mountains of
clouds could be seen approaching. The air was fresh and sweet. The man went out
for no other reason than to have the pleasure of feeling the rain on his body,
and when he returned he exclaimed, ‘‘These aren’t raindrops falling from the
sky, they are new coins. The big drops are ten cent pieces and the little ones
are fives.’’
i. In Lencho’s comparison, what did
the smaller raindrops represent? (1)
a) Ten-cent pieces
b) Silver coins
c) Five-cent pieces
d) Golden coins
ii. Lencho compared the raindrops to
_______ falling from the sky. (1)
iii. State True or False with
reference to the given extract. (1)
Lencho went out during the rain to check his crops.
iv. Why did Lencho call the raindrops
“new coins”? (2)
ANSWER
i-C,
ii- New Coins, iii-False, iv- Lencho saw the rain as a blessing for his crops.
He believed the harvest would bring him good income, so he compared the large
drops to ten-cent coins and the smaller drops to five-cent coins, symbolizing
prosperity.
EXTRACT-3
When he finished, he went to the
window to buy a stamp which he licked and then affixed to the envelope with a
blow of his fist. The moment the letter fell into the mailbox the postmaster
went to open it. It said: “God: Of the money that I asked for, only seventy
pesos reached me. Send me the rest, since I need it very much. But don’t send
it to me through the mail because the post office employees are a bunch of
crooks. Lencho.”
i. ‘…bunch of crooks.’ Pick the option that DOES NOT collate with ‘bunch of’, correctly.
a) option (i)
b) option (ii)
c) option (iii)
d) option (iv)
ii. What was the most likely response
that the postmaster expected in Lencho’s second letter?
i) sorrowful
ii) gratitude
iii) disappointment
iv) elation
v) shock
a) ii and v
b) i and iii
c) ii and iv
d) iii and v
iii, Pick the option that lists the option corresponding to—'with a blow of his fist.’
a) Option (i)
b) Option (ii)
c) Option (iii)
d) Option (iv)
iv. Lencho’s letter included
a) details of his problems.
b) description of the post office.
c) belief of being looted.
d) List of further demands.
v. Pick the most suitable quote for
this extract.
a) “It is easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.”
– Mark Twain
b) “Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.”- Confucius
c) “You see a person’s true colours when you are no longer beneficial to their
life.”- anonymous
d) “True generosity means accepting ingratitude.” - Coco Chanel
ANSWER
i-d, ii-c, iii-d, iv-d, v-d
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