Class X[First Flight]Chapter - 1: A Letter to God by G.L Fuentes

 Word Meaning

1. crest: Top of a hill
2. dotted: Full Of
3. downpour: Heavy Rain
4. intimately: Closely
   
5. exclaimed– cry out suddenly in surprise, strong emotion, or pain.
   
6. regarded– Consider Or Think Of In A Specified Way
7. draped – Adorn, Cover, Or Wrap (Someone Or Something)
8. hailstones – A Pellet Of Hail
9. resemble– Have A Similar Appearance To Or Qualities In Common With (Someone Or Something); Look Or Seem Like.
10. exposing – make (something) visible by uncovering it.; reveal
    
11. plague– a destructively numerous inflow or multiplication of a harmful animal, infestation
12. locusts- Insects which fly in big groups and destroy crops
    
13. solitary:  Existing alone; lonely.
14. conscience– an inner sense of right and wrong.
15. ox of a man– hardworking
16. daybreak– The time in the morning when daylight first appears
17. Pesos– the basic monetary unit of Mexico, several other Latin American countries, and the Philippines
18. amiable- Friendly And Pleasant
19. correspondence– Communication by exchanging letters with someone.
20. goodwill- friendly, helpful, or cooperative feelings or attitude
21. resolution– a firm decision to do or not to do something.
22. obliged– grateful
23. contentment– Satisfaction

Central Idea: The central idea of A Letter to God by G.L. Fuentes revolves around unwavering faith in God, hope, and the irony of human perception. The story highlights the unwavering faith of a poor farmer, Lencho, who completely trusts in God to help him during a crisis. After a storm destroys his crops, Lencho writes a letter to God asking for financial assistance. The postmaster, touched by Lencho’s faith, collects money to help him. However, when Lencho receives less than he asked for, he assumes that the post office employees stole the rest, showing both irony and human misunderstanding. The story emphasizes faith in divine power, the kindness of strangers, and the irony of human perception, making it a touching yet thought-provoking tale.

     Themes

1. Faith and Trust in God – Lencho’s unwavering belief that God will provide for him.

2. Human Kindness and Charity – The postmaster and his employees help Lencho out of goodwill.

3. Irony – Lencho unknowingly doubts the very people who helped him, believing they stole the money.

4. Hope and Optimism – Despite adversity, Lencho remains hopeful and takes action by writing to God.

5. Innocence and Ignorance – Lencho’s simple, unquestioning faith contrasts with his misjudgment of others.

Message:

• Unwavering faith can inspire hope in difficult times.
• Kindness exists in unexpected places.
• Irony highlights human misinterpretations.

Underlying Message: (Own Perspective)

• Blind faith can sometimes lead to misjudgment.
• Acts of generosity are often unrecognized.
• Trust in divinity should be complemented by trust in humanity.

Character Traits:

1. Lencho -

• Faithful & Devout – He has an unshakable belief in God and trusts that his prayers will be answered.
• Hardworking – A dedicated farmer who depends on his crops for survival.
• Hopeful & Optimistic – Despite losing everything in the storm, he believes help will come.
• Naïve & Innocent – He blindly assumes that only God could send him money and suspects the post office employees of theft.
• Ungrateful & Mistrusting – Instead of appreciating the help, he doubts the very people who aided him.

2. Postmaster -

• Kind & Generous – He takes the initiative to collect money for Lencho, wanting to keep his faith intact.
• Empathetic & Understanding – He values Lencho’s belief and doesn’t want him to lose hope.
• Compassionate & Helpful – Instead of laughing at Lencho’s letter, he chooses to act out of goodwill.

3. Post Office Employees -

• Selfless & Charitable – They contribute their own money to help a stranger in need.
• Supportive & Kind – They assist their boss in fulfilling Lencho’s request.

Literary Devices:

1. Irony – Lencho, who has absolute faith in God, distrusts the kind-hearted post office employees who helped him.

2. Symbolism –

The rain symbolizes blessings and hope.

The storm/hailstones symbolize destruction and hardships.

3. Personification – Nature is given human-like qualities, e.g., “It was during the meal that, as Lencho had predicted, big drops of rain began to fall. In the heart of the man who lived in that solitary house in the middle of the valley, there was a single hope: help from God.”

4. Foreshadowing – The description of the dark clouds hints at the upcoming disaster.

5. Imagery – The writer vividly describes the rain, hailstorm, and destruction of crops to make the scenes more powerful.

6. Metaphor – The hailstones are compared to "frozen pearls", showing how something that looks beautiful can cause destruction.

Title Justification: The title "A Letter to God" signifies the deep faith of a poor farmer, Lencho, who writes a letter to God seeking help during a crisis.

Perspective: The story is narrated in third-person perspective focusing mainly on Lencho's thoughts and actions.

Setting: The story is set in a rural countryside, where Lencho's small house stands alone on a low hill surrounded by crops.

 Question and Answers ((NCERT, BEQ, HOTS & VBQ)

Thinking about the Text  (pages 7 and 8)
Q1: (MARK in Textbook)

(The First Question and answer are to be marked in the textbook. NOT to be written in the notebook)

Question 1. Who does Lencho have complete faith in? Which sentences in the story tell you this?

Answer: Lencho has complete faith in God as he is instructed that God knows everything and helps us in our problems. There are a few sentences which show this

"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."

All through the night, Lencho thought only of his one hope: the help of God, whose eyes, as he had been instructed, see everything, even what is deep in one’s conscience.

“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.

Notebook Work

(the students can refer to the given content and they can prepare their own notes also. They NEED NOT copy everything word to word)

BEQ (Board-Expected Question - to be marked with star symbol in the textbook)

Question 2. 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.

Answer:

Lencho thinks that the post office employees have taken the rest of the money as he had demanded a hundred pesos from God and in the letter there was only seventy pesos and God cannot make such a mistake. So, he assumes that they have stolen the money.

The irony in this situation is that Lencho suspects those people who helped him in his problem and tried to keep his faith alive in God.

NCERT (Significant Questions)

Question 3.

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

Answer: The postmaster sends money to Lencho in order to keep Lencho’s faith in God alive and firm as he was completely moved by it. When postmaster reads the letter of Lencho to God, he becomes serious and does not want to shake his faith and decides to answer the letter. He gathers money with the help of his post office employees and friends on behalf of God and signs the letter ‘God’ so that Lencho’s faith does not get shaken.

Question 4. Did Lencho try to find out who had sent the money to him? Why or why not?

Answer: Lencho did not try to find out who had sent the money to him because he never suspected the presence of God and had complete faith in God. He could not believe that it could be – anybody else other than him who would send him the money. His faith in God was so strong that he believed that he had sent money to him for his help in his problem.

HOTS Question: (To be written in First Person Perspective)

Q4. If you were in Lencho’s place, what would you have done after the destruction of your crops?

(Sample Answer - Own response will be appreciated)

Answer: If I were in Lencho’s place, I would have tried to seek help from the people in my village, local authorities, or charitable organizations. I would not have written a letter to God, but I would have prayed for strength and courage to overcome the difficult situation. At the same time, I would have tried to find alternate ways to earn and survive until the next harvest.

VBQ (Value Based Question):

Q5. What value do we learn from the postmaster's actions in the story?

Answer: The postmaster's actions teach us the values of kindness, compassion, and empathy. Even though Lencho's request seemed unusual, the postmaster respected his faith and tried to help him. His efforts show that helping others in need without expecting anything in return is a noble quality.