A LETTER TO GOD

SCOPE
➤ Introduction
➤ Explanation(1)
➤ Explanation(2)
➤ Explanation(3)
➤ Glossary
➤ Reference to context
➤ Questions(1)
➤ Question(2)
INTRODUCTION
This story revolves around a person named Lencho and his
great faith in God. Lencho was a farmer who wrote a letter to
God asking him for hundred pesos because his crops were
ruined. In this chapter we come to know who replied his letter
and how Lencho reacted when he received the reply.
EXPLANATION
Once there lived a farmer named Lencho. He and his
family were the only people in the entire valley. His field
of corn was ripe and only thing the earth needed was
rain. As Lencho had predicted it started raining soon
after. He was happy and satisfied to see it. But suddenly
a strong wind began to blow and along with the rain
very large hailstones began to fall which destroyed the
corn totally. Lencho’s soul was filled with sadness. Their
only hope was help from God. Then Lencho wrote a
letter to God asking for 100 pesos which he would use to
sow his field again and to help his family live till the crop
comes. He himself went to town to mail the letter. When
the postman saw that the letter was addressed to God,
he laughed heartily and on seeing this the postmaster,
who was a fat amiable man also laughed.
EXPLANATION
But then, almost immediately he turned serious and
appreciated the person’s faith. So, in order to not shake
the person’s faith he decided to reply the letter. But upon
reading the letter he found that answering the letter would
require something more than just ink, paper and goodwill.
Lencho had asked for money but still the postmaster
decided to answer the letter. He himself gave a part of his
salary and asked his friends and employees to give
something for this act of charity. He was not able to collect
100 pesos but collected a little more than half the amount.
He put the money in an envelope and with it a letter
containing only a single word as a signature, God. About a
week later, the following Sunday Lencho arrived, earlier
than usual, to ask if there was any letter for him. The
postman himself handed Lencho the letter, while the
postmaster was looking from his office with great
contentment.
EXPLANATION
Lencho was not at all surprised on seeing the letter with
money inside it, but became angry when he counted the
money. Being sure that God could not have made a
mistake or denied him anything that he requested, he
thought that the post office employees must have stolen
some of the money. He went to ask for paper and ink and
wrote another letter on the public writing-table. When
Lencho dropped the letter into the mailbox, the
postmaster read the letter. In this letter Lencho
ungrateful asked God to send him the rest of the money
as only 70 pesos reached him. Lencho ironically blamed
the post office employees, who actually had helped him,
for stealing the rest of the money and called them a
bunch of crooks.
GLOSSARY
➤ Crest- top of a hill
➤ Draped- covered (with cloth)
➤ Locusts- insects which fly in big swarms and destroy
crops
➤ Conscience- an inner sense of right and wrong
➤ Peso- currency of several Latin American countries
➤ Amiable- friendly and pleasant
➤ Contentment- satisfaction
 REFERENCE TO CONTEXT
Q1)’”It’s really getting bad now,” exclaimed the man. “I hope it
passes quickly.”’
a) Who said this? What did he mean?
b) Did his wish come true?
c) What was “it”’s result?
Q2)’Lencho was an ox of a man, working like an animal in the fields,
but still he knew how to write. The following Sunday at daybreak, he
began to write a letter which he himself would carry to town and
place it in the mail.
d) What are the literary devices used here?
e) Why did Lencho write a letter?
f) Who did he write the letter to and was it answered by the person
to whom it was sent?
QUESTIONS
Very short answer questions
1) What had Lencho hoped for?
2) What was Lencho’s only hope after the hail?
3) How much money did Lencho need? Whom did he ask for the money?
4) How much money did he receive? Who had actually given that money?
Short answer questions
1) What did Lencho compare the raindrops to? What did he imply?
2) What was the result of the storm?
3) Why did the postmaster reply Lencho’s letter?
4) What is the irony in the end of the story?
QUESTIONS
Long answer questions
1) Who did Lencho have complete faith in? Why do you think so? Explain.
2) What made the postmaster feel contented? What had he done? Was
Lencho’s reaction what he had expected? Explain.
3) How is the character of postmaster important in the story?
4) Write the character sketch of Lencho?