A Letter to God — Class 10 English
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Chapter summary
The story in steps
- Lencho watches his ripe corn field and hopes for rain to give the crop a good finish.
- Rain begins happily, but a terrible hailstorm soon destroys the whole field and leaves no harvest.
- Sure that God sees everything, Lencho writes a letter asking for a hundred pesos to survive.
- The postmaster is touched by Lencho’s faith and collects money, but he can send only seventy pesos.
- Lencho receives the money, believes God sent it, and becomes angry because the amount is less.
- He writes again, asking God for the rest and warning Him not to send it through the post office.
Key ideas & terms
- Lencho
- A poor but devout farmer whose faith in God never wavers.
- The postmaster
- A kind-hearted official who arranges money to help Lencho.
- Faith
- Lencho’s complete, unquestioning belief that God will help him.
- Irony
- Lencho calls his real helpers crooks, unaware of their kindness.
- Hailstorm
- The sudden storm that destroys Lencho’s crop and his hopes.
- Charity
- The selfless giving by the postmaster and his colleagues.
शब्दार्थ · Word meanings
- crest
- top of a hill
- amiable
- friendly and pleasant
- downpour
- very heavy rain
- draped
- covered loosely over
- hailstones
- small balls of ice
- plague of locusts
- huge swarm destroying crops
- conscience
- inner sense of right
- contentment
- state of being satisfied
- pesos
- units of Mexican money
- oxen
- bulls used for farm work
- crooks
- dishonest people; thieves
Extra questions & answers
Why did Lencho write a letter to God?
His crop was destroyed by a hailstorm, leaving his family with no food, and his deep faith made him believe God would send him a hundred pesos.
How did the postmaster help Lencho?
Moved by Lencho’s faith, he collected money from the post-office employees and even gave part of his own salary, sending it signed “God”.
Why was Lencho not surprised to receive the money?
Because his faith in God was so complete that he was sure his prayer would be answered.
Why did Lencho call the post-office employees crooks?
He received only seventy of the hundred pesos and, certain God had sent the full amount, concluded the employees had stolen the rest.
Where did Lencho live, and what was his only hope for the year?
He lived in a humble house in the hilly countryside; his only hope was a good harvest of ripe corn, for which his field badly needed a downpour of rain.
Why was Lencho pleased when it began to rain?
His field of corn needed rain badly, so he was delighted; he compared the falling drops to new silver coins, seeing in them the promise of a good crop.
How did the rain turn into a disaster for Lencho?
A sudden hailstorm followed the rain and battered the field until not a leaf of corn was left, destroying the whole crop and his family’s hope of food.
What single hope remained for Lencho after the storm, and what did he do?
His firm faith in God, whom he believed could see everything and would help; acting on this faith, he wrote a letter asking God for a hundred pesos.
How did the postmaster react on reading Lencho’s letter?
He first laughed at its simplicity, but was so moved by Lencho’s deep, sincere faith that he decided to help so that the man’s faith would not be shaken.
What does the story teach us about faith and human nature?
It shows the power of unquestioning faith, but also how genuine human kindness can go unnoticed, and how people may be ungrateful or suspicious even of those who help them.
Thinking about the Text
Who does Lencho have complete faith in? Which sentences in the story tell you this?
Lencho has complete faith in God. The story says that the family’s single hope was help from God and that Lencho believed God’s eyes could see everything, including what was deep in a person’s conscience. His decision to write directly to God and his lack of surprise when the money arrived also demonstrate his absolute faith.
Why does the postmaster send money to Lencho? Why does he sign the letter ‘God’?
The postmaster is deeply impressed by Lencho’s faith and does not want it to be shaken. He collects contributions from his employees and friends, adds part of his own salary and sends the money to Lencho. He signs the letter ‘God’ so that Lencho will believe that God has answered his request.
Did Lencho try to find out who had sent the money to him? Why/Why not?
No, Lencho did not try to discover who had sent the money. His faith was so complete that he had no doubt that the money had come directly from God.
Who does Lencho think has taken the rest of the money? What is the irony in the situation? (Remember that the irony of a situation is an unexpected aspect of it. An ironic situation is strange or amusing because it is the opposite of what is expected.)
Lencho believes that the post office employees have taken the missing thirty pesos. The irony is that those very employees collected and donated the seventy pesos he received. Instead of recognising their kindness, Lencho calls them crooks.
Are there people like Lencho in the real world? What kind of a person would you say he is? You may select appropriate words from the box to answer the question.
greedy naive stupid ungrateful
selfish comical unquestioning
Yes, people with unquestioning faith and limited understanding of other people’s actions can exist in the real world. Lencho is best described as naive and unquestioning. His accusation also makes him appear ungrateful, although he does not deliberately intend to insult the people who helped him.
There are two kinds of conflict in the story: between humans and nature, and between humans themselves. How are these conflicts illustrated?
The conflict between humans and nature is shown when the hailstorm completely destroys Lencho’s ripe corn despite his hard work and hopes for a good harvest. The conflict between humans is created by misunderstanding: the post office employees generously help Lencho, but he assumes that they have stolen part of the money and accuses them of being crooks.
Thinking about Language
There are different names in different parts of the world for storms, depending on their nature. Can you match the names in the box with their descriptions below, and fill in the blanks? You may use a dictionary to help you.
gale, whirlwind, cyclone, hurricane, tornado, typhoon
1. A violent tropical storm in which strong winds move in a circle: __ __ c __ __ __ __
cyclone
There are different names in different parts of the world for storms, depending on their nature. Can you match the names in the box with their descriptions below, and fill in the blanks? You may use a dictionary to help you.
gale, whirlwind, cyclone, hurricane, tornado, typhoon
2. An extremely strong wind : __ a __ __
gale
There are different names in different parts of the world for storms, depending on their nature. Can you match the names in the box with their descriptions below, and fill in the blanks? You may use a dictionary to help you.
gale, whirlwind, cyclone, hurricane, tornado, typhoon
3. A violent tropical storm with very strong winds : __ __ p __ __ __ __
typhoon
There are different names in different parts of the world for storms, depending on their nature. Can you match the names in the box with their descriptions below, and fill in the blanks? You may use a dictionary to help you.
gale, whirlwind, cyclone, hurricane, tornado, typhoon
4. A violent storm whose centre is a cloud in the shape of a funnel: __ __ __ n __ __ __
tornado
There are different names in different parts of the world for storms, depending on their nature. Can you match the names in the box with their descriptions below, and fill in the blanks? You may use a dictionary to help you.
gale, whirlwind, cyclone, hurricane, tornado, typhoon
5. A violent storm with very strong winds, especially in the western Atlantic Ocean: __ __ r __ __ __ __ __ __
hurricane
There are different names in different parts of the world for storms, depending on their nature. Can you match the names in the box with their descriptions below, and fill in the blanks? You may use a dictionary to help you.
gale, whirlwind, cyclone, hurricane, tornado, typhoon
6. A very strong wind that moves very fast in a spinning movement and causes a lot of damage: __ __ __ __ l __ __ __ __
whirlwind
Match the sentences in Column A with the meanings of ‘hope’ in Column B.
1. Will you get the subjects you want to study in college?
I hope so.
wanting something to happen and thinking it quite possible
Match the sentences in Column A with the meanings of ‘hope’ in Column B.
2. I hope you don’t mind my saying this, but I don’t like the way you are arguing.
showing concern that what you say should not offend or disturb the other person: a way of being polite
Match the sentences in Column A with the meanings of ‘hope’ in Column B.
3. This discovery will give new hope to HIV/AIDS sufferers.
a feeling that something good will probably happen
Match the sentences in Column A with the meanings of ‘hope’ in Column B.
4. We were hoping against hope that the judges would not notice our mistakes.
wishing for something to happen, although this is very unlikely
Match the sentences in Column A with the meanings of ‘hope’ in Column B.
5. I called early in the hope of speaking to her before she went to school.
thinking that this would happen; it may or may not have happened
Match the sentences in Column A with the meanings of ‘hope’ in Column B.
6. Just when everybody had given up hope, the fishermen came back, seven days after the cyclone.
stopped believing that this good thing would happen
III. Relative Clauses
Join the sentences given below using who, whom, whose, which, as suggested.
1. I often go to Mumbai. Mumbai is the commercial capital of India. (which)
I often go to Mumbai, which is the commercial capital of India.
Join the sentences given below using who, whom, whose, which, as suggested.
2. My mother is going to host a TV show on cooking. She cooks very well. (who)
My mother, who cooks very well, is going to host a TV show on cooking.
Join the sentences given below using who, whom, whose, which, as suggested.
3. These sportspersons are going to meet the President. Their performance has been excellent. (whose)
These sportspersons, whose performance has been excellent, are going to meet the President.
Join the sentences given below using who, whom, whose, which, as suggested.
4. Lencho prayed to God. His eyes see into our minds. (whose)
Lencho prayed to God, whose eyes see into our minds.
Join the sentences given below using who, whom, whose, which, as suggested.
5. This man cheated me. I trusted him. (whom)
This man, whom I trusted, cheated me.
IV. Using Negatives for Emphasis
Find sentences in the story with negative words, which express the following ideas emphatically.
1. The trees lost all their leaves.
Not a leaf remained on the trees.
Find sentences in the story with negative words, which express the following ideas emphatically.
2. The letter was addressed to God himself.
It was nothing less than a letter to God.
Find sentences in the story with negative words, which express the following ideas emphatically.
3. The postman saw this address for the first time in his career.
Never in his career as a postman had he known that address.
V. Metaphors
In pairs, find metaphors from the story to complete the table below. Try to say what qualities are being compared. One has been done for you.
Cloud
Metaphor: Huge mountains. The mass or ‘hugeness’ of the clouds is compared with that of mountains.
In pairs, find metaphors from the story to complete the table below. Try to say what qualities are being compared. One has been done for you.
Raindrops
Metaphor: New coins. The raindrops are compared with coins because the rain promises a valuable and profitable harvest.
In pairs, find metaphors from the story to complete the table below. Try to say what qualities are being compared. One has been done for you.
Hailstones
Metaphor: Frozen pearls. Their round shape, whiteness and shining appearance are compared with pearls.
In pairs, find metaphors from the story to complete the table below. Try to say what qualities are being compared. One has been done for you.
Locusts
Metaphor: A plague. Their rapid spread and destructive effect are compared with an epidemic that spreads rapidly and leaves many people dead.
In pairs, find metaphors from the story to complete the table below. Try to say what qualities are being compared. One has been done for you.
An ox of a man
The metaphor refers to Lencho. His strength, endurance and habit of working hard in the fields are compared with those of an ox.
Speaking
Have you ever been in great difficulty, and felt that only a miracle could help you? How was your problem solved? Speak about this in class with your teacher.
Once, just before an important school presentation, the only copy of our group’s project stopped opening. We thought that several weeks of work had been lost. One member then remembered that an earlier version had automatically been saved in an online folder. We recovered it, quickly added the missing changes and completed the presentation on time. It felt like a miracle, although the problem was actually solved by teamwork, patience and a timely backup.
Listening
Listen to the letter (given under ‘In This Lesson’) read out by your teacher/on the audio tape. As you listen fill in the table given below.
The writer apologises because she has not written for a very long time. The writer has sent the reader a birthday card. She sent it in September 2005. The reason for not writing earlier is that the writer and her family had just moved house. Sarah goes to ‘Little Feet’ school. Jaya is writing to Arti. They were last together in Bangalore the previous year.
Writing
Lencho suffered first due to drought and then by floods. Our country is also facing such situations in the recent years. There is flood and there is drought. There is a need to save water through water harvesting. Design a poster for your area on how to save water during summer and when it is available in excess.
SAVE WATER — SECURE OUR FUTURE
Every drop stored today can protect us tomorrow.
Repair leaking taps and pipes immediately.
Turn off taps while brushing, washing or soaping.
Use a bucket instead of a running hose.
Reuse water from washing vegetables for plants.
Water plants early in the morning or in the evening.
Install rooftop rainwater-harvesting systems.
Collect excess rainwater in tanks, ponds and recharge pits.
Keep drains and local water bodies free from waste.
Do not waste stored water merely because it is plentiful.
Save water in summer and store rainwater during the monsoon.
SAVE WATER • HARVEST RAIN • PROTECT LIFE