A Letter To God ( Prose), Class 10th C.B.S.E Board

 

 A Letter To God ( Prose), Class 10th C.B.S.E Board 

Topics Covered:

1- About The Writer 

2- Chapter Summary 

3- Vocabulary Building 

4- Textbook Exercises 

5- Short Question/Answers 

6- Long Question/Answers 

7- To Conclude 

1- About The Writer 

• G L Fuentes was a Mexican novelist, poet and a journalist. 

• He worked on cargo ships as a teenager. 

• The Indian 1935, a fictional Study of the life of Mexico's indigenous race, was his most celebrated work. 

• He was awarded the National prize of Arts and Sciences in 1935.

2- Chapter Summary 

This chapter is about a farmer named Lencho who lived on the peak (Crest) of a low hill with his family.  There was only one house in the entire valley and that belongs to Lencho.

His fields were close to his house, and it was filled with ripe corn. He was eagerly waiting for the rain to have good harvest.

One day, when he was having supper (dinner) it started raining suddenly.  Lencho became happy so much that he went outside the house to enjoy the rain. At that moment the raindrops that were falling from the sky were like new coins to him(Lencho). 

But suddenly strong winds began to blow and hailstones started to fall on the field.  The storm continued for an hour and it completely destroyed the Lenchos corn fields. Now it looks like a white bedsheet of white salt because his corn field was completely overtaken by snow.

Although Lencho lost all his crops, but he had firm faith in God. He decided to write a letter to God, as he wants to take his help. In the letter he wrote, that he want hundred pesos (mexican currency) in order to support his family and at the same time, he wanted to sow his field again. He also mentioned in the letter, if God didn't help, he and his family would die of hunger. 

In the postoffice, the postman laughed after seeing the address on Lencho's letter. He took the letter to the postmaster. By nature postmaster was friendly and kind. At first, he also laughed but later he realised that Lencho had full faith in God. So he (Postmaster) decided to help Lencho.

The postmaster requested his employees and friends to give some money. He at the same time also gave some Part of his salary. But unfortunately, he was unable to collect hundred pesos, instead he collected only seventy pesos. He put seventy pesos in an envelope and signed it as God. 

Next Sunday, Lencho visited the postoffice and got his letter. He became so happy after getting the letter from God. But when he counted the amount, he became angry. It was seventy pesos only. And he asked for hundred pesos. 

So he decided to write another letter God.Now there is an irony in the story. As in the letter he requested the God to send the remaining amount i.e. thirty pesos. He also requested God not to send the money through post because employees of postoffice were dishonest people, who might have stolen his money. 

In reality, they were the person who help Lencho but ironically Lencho thought that employees of the postoffice were a bunch of crooks(dishonest persons).

3- Vocabulary Building 

• Crest- top of a hill or mountain 

• Downpour- heavy rain

• Supper - an evening meal

• Regard - consider

• Draped - covered

• Solitary - single

• Daybreak - dawn

• Peso - mexican currency 

• Amiable - friendly 

• Correspondence - letter sent or received 

• Resolution - firm decision 

• Deed - brave act

• Blow - hard hit

• Bunch - group

• Crooks - dishonest people 

4- Textbook Exercises 

• What did Lencho hope for?

A• He hoped for a good rainfall as he wants to get good harvest. 

• Why did Lencho say the raindrops were like 'new coins'?

A• Lencho said that the raindrops were like new coins because with rain he would produce a good harvest. That will help him in earning more money. 

• How did the rain change? What happened to Lencho's field?

A• The rain suddenly changed into strong winds and hailstones began to fall. 

As a result, his crops got destroyed. 

• What were Lencho's feelings when the hail stopped?

A• He became sad. His crops were destroyed due to the hailstones. 

• Who or what did Lencho have faith in? What did he do?

A• He had faith in God. He wrote a letter to God asking him to send hundred pesos. 

• Who read the letter?

A• The postmaster read the letter. 

• What did the postmaster do then? 

A• The postmaster laughed but he realised that Lencho had full faith in God. So he decided to help him and collected money from his employees and friends. He also gave some part of his salary. He was able to collect seventy pesos and kept that amount in the envelope. 

• Was Lencho surprised to find a letter for him with money in it?

A• No, because he believed that God will help him by sending the money. 

• What made him angry?

A• There were only seventy pesos in the envelope while he asked for hundred pesos. 

• Who does Lencho have complete faith in? Which sentences in the story tell you this?

A• Lencho has complete faith in God.  The Sentences which show this are 

▪︎ But in the hearts of all who lived in that solitary house in the middle of the valley, there was a single hope-help from God.

▪︎ "God" he wrote, "If you don't help me, my family and I will go hungry this year".

▪︎ He wrote "to God" on the envelope, put the letter inside and still troubled, went to town.

▪︎ God could not have made a mistake, nor could he have denied Lencho what he had requested. 

• Why does the postmaster send money to Lencho? Why does he sign the letter 'God'?

A• After reading Lencho's letter he realised the firm faith of Lencho in God. He doesn't want this faith to be broken. So he decided to send money to Lencho. 

To maintain Lencho's faith he sign the letter as 'God'.

• Did Lencho try to find out who had sent the money to him? Why/why not?

A• No, because his faith in God was so strong that only God can help him. 

• 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)

A• According to Lencho, postoffice employees have taken remaining thirty pesos out of hundred.

The irony is Lencho suspects those people who helped him by giving seventy pesos. 

• Are there people like Lencho in the real world? What kind of a person would you say he is? 

A• Yes, there are people like him in the real world. 

Lencho was a simple farmer who has full faith in God. He has an unquestioning attitude that God can help him. 

• There are two kinds of conflict in the story between humans and nature and between humans themselves. How are these conflicts illustrated?

A• The first conflict between humans and nature is illustrated by the destruction of Lencho's crop.

The story also illustrates conflicts between humans themselves. The postmaster helped him by sending seventy pesos. But ironically Lencho blames the employees of the postoffice as according to him, they (employees) have taken the remaining amount. 

Thinking about Language:

1- 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? 

Gale, whirlwind, cyclone, hurricane, tornado, typhoon 

• A violent tropical storm in which strong winds in a circle..c.....

A• Cyclone.

• An extremely strong wind..a.....

A• Gale.

• A violent tropical storm with very strong wind...p........

A• Typhoon 

• A violent storm whose centre is a cloud in the shape of a funnel....n.....

A• Tornado.

• A violent storm with very strong winds, especially in the western Atlantic ocean....r......

A• Hurricane

• A very strong wind that moves very fast in a spinning movement and causes a lot of damage.......l.....

A• Whirlwind. 

2- Match the Sentences in column A with the meaning of 'hope's in column B.

• Will you get the subjects you want to study in college? I hope so

A- thinking that this would happen (it may or may not have happened).

• I hope you don't mind my saying this but I don't like the way you are arguing 

A• showing concern that what you say should not offend or disturb the other person: a way of being polite. 

• This discovery will give new hope to HIV/AIDS sufferers

A• a feeling that something good will probably happen. 

• We were hoping against hope that the judges would not notice our mistakes 

A• wishing for something to happen, although this is very unlikely. 

• I called early in the hope of speaking to her before she went to school

A• wanting something to happen ( and thinking it quite possible  ).

• Just when everybody had given up hope, the fishermen came back, seven days after the cyclone 

A• stopped believing that this good thing would happen. 

3- Join the Sentences given below using who, whose, whom, which, as suggested. 

i- I often go to Mumbai. Mumbai is the commercial capital of India. (Which)

A- I often go to Mumbai, which is the commercial capital of India. 

ii- My mother is going to host a TV show on cooking. She cooks very well.(who)

A- My Mather, who cooks very well, is going to host a TV show on cooking. 

iii- These sportsperson are going to meet the President. Their performance has been excellent. (Whose)

A- These sportsperson, whose performance has been excellent, are going to meet the President. 

iv- Lencho prayed to God. His eyes see into our minds.(whose)

A- Lencho prayed to God, whose eyes see into our minds.

v- This man cheated me. I trusted him.(whom)

A- This man, whom I trusted, cheated me. 

4- Find Sentences in the story with negative words, which express the following ideas emphatically.

a- The trees lost all their leaves.

b- The letter was addressed to God himself. 

C- The postman saw this address fir the first time in his career. 

A• Not a leaf remained on the trees.

B• It was nothing less than a letter to God. 

C• Postman has never seen that address in his career. 

5- Find Metaphor from the story to complete the table below.  

i- Cloud(object) 

 • Huge mountains of cloud(Metaphor)

• The hugeness if mountains (Quality)

ii- Raindrops (object)

• coin(Metaphor)

• A good crop will bring money( Quality)

iii- Hailstones (object)

• Frozen pearls( Metaphor)

• Brightness of pearls( Quality)

iv- Locusts(object)

• A plague of locusts (Metaphor)

• A disease that spreads very rapidly (Quality)

v- Lencho(object)

• An ox of a man(Metaphor)

• Strong (Quality).

5- Short Question/Answers 

• Who was Lencho? What was his main problem?

A• He was a hardworking farmer who had firm faith in God.

His main problem was hailstones and storms because it would damage his crops. 

• How much money did Lencho need? How much did he get?

A• Lencho needed hundred pesos. As he wants to sow a new crop and support his family.  

He got seventy pesos which was less than his expectation.

• Why did Lencho not want the money to be sent through mail?

A• Because he suspected the postoffice employees of stealing thirty pesos out of hundred pesos that he asked from God.

6- Long Question/Answers 

• Write the character sketch of Lencho.

A• Lencho  was simple and hardworking farmer. He worked very hard to support his family. He had full faith in God. When his crops were destroyed due to hailstones and storms, he straightaway decided to write a letter to God asking for hundred pesos. 

After getting the envelope he found only seventy pesos. So he decided to write another letter to God. This also shows his blind but firm faith in God.

• Write the character sketch of Postmaster. 

A• He was friendly and kind by nature.  At first he laughed by reading the letter of Lencho. But soon he realised the firm faith of Lencho in God. So he decided to help him. He collected some amount from his salary and took some from his employees and friends. But he was able to collect only seventy pesos. He put the amount in the envelope and waited for Lencho's to come and collect that envelope. This shows his kind nature towards Lenchos.

7- To Conclude 

I hope above notes would be a great help in your upcoming exams. If any doubts you can reach me through the comment section box and I will Get back to you as soon as possible. Thank You 

ALL THE BEST FOR YOUR EXAMS....