Lencho, a hardworking farmer's deep faith in God compels his inner sense to write a letter to God asking 100 pesos at the time of his crop loss. The post office employees read the letter and helped him with 70 pesos but received a negative gratitude as'a bunch of crooks'.
1. A LETTER TO GOD• By : G. L. FUENTES
Prepared By :
Mr Ramprasad Maharana(TGT Eng.)
JNV Gurujang, Khordha,Odisha
2. About The Auther
• Gregorio Lopez Y Fuentes , born in July 11
1897 and died in Jan 13 2002 was a fisherman
by profession. He was an American writer
born in Mexico.
3. About The Story
The story is about a hardworking farmer named Lencho who had firm and
unshaking faith in God. He lived on a low hill in a Valley with his family. His entire
family depended on the harvest in his field. Once, there was no rain;he eagerly
waited for the rain; he was overjoyed when he got the rain, but in no time his field
was filled with hailstones and his crop was damaged, finding no other way he
decided to write a letter to God for asking 100 pesos.He posted the letter in the
post office and waited for the money.When the letter was seen by the post master,
he was taken aback. He understood the situation and thus encouraged his staff to
contribute ;they could collect 70 pesos and sent it to Lencho. But Lencho after
receiving the amount was horrified.In stead of thanking them he called the post
office employees as‘a bunch of crooks’.
9. Lencho wrote a letter to God and put
stamp on it. He requested God to send
him 100 pesos.
10. The letter was read by both the
postman and the postmaster.
11. Lencho was very hopeful of getting the amount
he requested the God, thus everyday visiting the
post office to enquire about any letter has come
from the God.
12. Finally the letter came to Lencho and he was
given 70 pesos by the post office employees.
But instead of thanking them he called them
‘a bunch of crooks’. He wrote a second
letter to God complaining against the post
office employees. He requested God not to
send money through these employees.
13. Message
• Faith is good but blind faith is always
misleading..Lencho had strong faith in God
but he lacked practical knowledge for which
he blamed the post office employees...
14. WORD MEANINGS
• Entire-whole
• Valley- a plain area
• Crest- peak,top
• Ripe-mature
• Corn-plant
• Harvest-crop
• Downpour-heavy rain
• Shower-light rain
15. • Supper- dinner
• Predicted-foretold,guessed
• Huge-very big
• Approaching-coming
• Returned- came back
• Exclaimed- shouted with surprise
• Destroyed-damaged
• Soul-immaterial part of man(Atma)
• Plague of locusts- attack of pests(insects that
harm crops)
16. • Sorrowful-sad
• Solitary-alone
• Satisfied-happy,contented
• Expression-show of feelings
• Regarded-thought
• Draped-covered
• Curtain-veil, cover
• Hailstones-rain of snow
• Resemble- look like
• Exposing to-to take risk
17. • Instructed-directed,gave instructions
• Conscience-the inner sense of right or
wrong(VIVEK)
• Still-yet
• Daybreak-sunrise
• Amiable- friendly
• Correspondence-relation, communicate
• Resolution-firm determination
• Charity-money given to the poor
• Peso- Mexican currency(1 peso=3.18 indian
Rs)
18. • Obliged-grateful,thankful
• Goodwill-nice feeling
• Contentment-satisfaction
• Performed-done
• Containing-having
• Slightest-very small
• Wrinking-lines or folds in the skin
• Affixed-fixed with glue/gum
• Licked-passed the tongue over
• Bunch-group
• Crook-cheater
19. Comprehension Questions
Q1-Why did Lencho say the rain drops were like
‘new coins’ ?
• Ans- Lencho said so for 2 reasons-
• i) The raindrops had brightness like new coins.
• Ii) A good rain always promises a good harvest.
• Q2- What were Lencho’s feelings when the hail
stopped ?
• Ans- Lencho was very disappointed because his
entire corn field was damaged in the hailstorm.
20. • Q3-What is the role of the post master in the story? Why
was he depreciated by Lencho ?
• Ans- The post master was an amiable and good natured
gentle man . He didn’t want to break the firm faith of
Lencho in God.
– He along with his other staff were blamed by Lencho
for their act of charity. It is because of Lencho’s
impractical and naive nature.
Q4- There are 2 types of conflicts in the story- between
humans and nature and between humans
themselves. How are they illustrated ?
Ans- i) between humans and nature-when the hailstorm
destryed Lencho’s corn field
ii) Between humans themselves- when post office
employees sent 70 pesos to Lencho but were blamed
as ‘a bunch of crooks ‘ by Lencho.
21. GRAMMAR in the chapter
Relative clause
Primary clause
(I met Ram.)
Sub ordinate clause
(Ram gave me a
message.)
I MET RAM WHO GAVE ME A MESSAGE.
22. Relative Pronouns
Relative Pronouns are pronouns used as connectors
between Primary clause and the sub ordinate
clause
Who- used for people
Where-used for place
Which, that-used for things and objects
When-used for time
Whom/whose-persons in case of possessive form
23. Examples
• I live in this house. This house belongs to my
father
Ans-(I live in this house which belongs to my
father.)
• I have a pet dog. I like it very much.
Ans-( I have a pet dog whom I like very much )
• This was the place. I met my uncle yesterday.
Ans- (This was the place where I met my uncle
yesterday)
24. Figure of Speech used in the chapter
• SIMILE- A similarity between 2 dissimilar
things/persons by using eaither ‘like’ ‘as’
• Eg- the rain drops are like new coins
• You are as bright as the moon
• METAPHOR- A direct comparison between 2 dissimilar
things/persons without using like or as
• Eg- Huge mountains of clouds (mass or hugeness of
mountains compared)
• Farmer is said as a ox of a man(the hardwork of the ox
is compared)
