A Letter to God

Ans: Lencho, the farmer is described here.

Ans: He went out in the rain to feel the happiness of rain on his body.

Ans: Lencho thought that the raindrops would help him get a good harvest and thus he can earn money. So the raindrops were like new coins for Lencho.

Ans: The raindrops soon turned into a hailstorm and destroyed his crops and ruined his hopes.

Ans: He was satisfied because his fields got good rains.

Ans: He compared them to coins.

Ans: The frozen pearls refer to hail stones.

Ans. draped

Ans: The postmaster

Ans: The man lost his crops due to a hailstorm. So he wanted hundred pesos to sow his field again and to live until the crops come.

Ans: The man is simple, innocent and straight forward. He has strong belief in God.

Ans: Correspond

Ans: The rain began on a pleasant note. The air was fresh and sweet. But suddenly a strong wind began to blow and along with the rain very large hailstones began to fall. It did not pass quickly. For an hour the hail rained on the field and the corn was total.

Ans: Lencho wrote a letter to God. He asked God to send him Hundred Pesos to sow his field again and to live until the crops come.

Ans: The postmaster decided to answer the letter, but as Lencho very badly needed some money, he asked for money from his employees. He himself gave part of his salary and several of his friends joined him. He could gather only seventy pesos. He put the money in an envelope addressed to Lencho and with it a letter containing only one word as signature: God.

Points
The postmaster of the story is a kind, generous, helpful, amiable, and God-fearing man. He received a letter from Lencho which was written to God asking for hundred pesos so that he could sow his fields again. The postmaster did not want to shake the writer’s faith in the almighty, and thus, out of virtuous intentions, decided to collect money for “an act of charity. He also signed the letter in the name of God to conceal his identity as he wanted Lencho to think it was actually a reply from God. This shows that he was a very good man at heart.

Ans. After the entire crop was ruined in the hailstorm. Lencho’s family members solaced him and asked him not to lose hope. They reminded him that in God’s world no one died of hunger.

Ans. Lencho was a hard-working farmer. He worked hard in the field like an Ox. But unlike farmers, he was also a literate person.

Ans. According to me, she would have been happy knowing that Lencho had informed God about their loss and help would reach them soon. She had a deep faith in God. She believed that no one can die of hunger because God takes care of everyone’s basic needs.

Ans. The postmaster was very keen to know Lencho’s reaction. As soon as Lencho left the post office, the postmaster opened the envelope to read his reply. He was expecting a note of thankfulness to God in the letter.

Ans. Conversation between Lencho and his wife –
Wife: If this storm does not stop here, we will die of hunger.
Lencho: Yes, our hard work will go to waste. It must stop now.
Wife; We will have no corn left this year.
Lencho: Don’t worry, God can see everything and He will not let us die of hunger.
Wife: Let’s hope so. I have heard that no one dies of hunger.

Ans. A hailstorm can be compared to small balls of anything that is white in colour. But, here, the comparison to salt is much better than sugar cubes. As sugar symbolises sweetness or happiness, whereas excess salt signifies the spoilt taste. The hailstorm spoiled Lencho’s fields totally that’s why it is said that the field was white as if covered with salt. So, comparing it with sugar would not have been more appropriate.

Ans. I do not justify his approach of relying solely on God’s help. It was totally illogical. Sorrow and happiness are two phases of life that everyone must stay prepared to face. Besides, praying to God for his mental calmness he should have approached his relatives for help and worked hard again.

Ans. (a)The main reason behind their help could be empathy. If I were in the place of one of the employees, I would have definitely helped Lencho by giving out some money. “Many a little makes a mickle”. One rupee donated by 100 people would make up to 100 rupees without making much difference to the donor. However, it would be a big help for the done.
(b) Of course, an employee can’t say ‘no’ to a helping deed initiated by his/her boss. But, as an employee, I consider it right to help a distressed person. It is the moral duty of every human to help a needy person. You never know, maybe, it’s your turn next time. I believe that ‘Charity always begins at home.

Ans. The given anecdote is similar to the lesson- ‘A letter to God’ in the following ways- Both Lencho and the woman in the story believed blindly in God. Just like Lencho did not try any other source, the woman also waited patiently for God’s help. The two stories verify that God listens to the people, by any means, who trust him.
The two stories stand apart in the following manner- The woman in the story was helped with the intention of ridicule. Whereas the postmaster tried to help Lencho to sustain his belief in God. The woman felt grateful for getting the help. Lencho, on the opposite, started yelling at the postmaster. The intentions of the people helping the victim are different in both stories. The man in the above story wanted to shake the woman’s belief in God by sending help as a devil. On the contrary, the postmaster collected helped Lencho to keep intact his faith in God.

Answer: The postmaster is rightly depicted as a representative of God because he managed to collect money for Lencho who was helpless at that time. It is believed that God can’t be physically present everywhere to help his children, so He sends help through his messengers. People believe that He relieves their sufferings through his representatives. He can be understood as representative of God as he made efforts to Lencho’s prayers which were addressed to God. He even replied to Lencho’s letter on behalf of God so that his belief in God is not shaken. Though the postmaster was a human being, his helping action can be compared to the representative of God.

Ans. The Employees were kind, helpful and considerate. They were an epitome of humanity. When they saw Lencho’s deep faith in God, they wanted to help him on behalf of God. For this act of Charity, they contributed their share of money. This proves that they had empathy and compassion for Lencho.

Ans. Lencho – a simple person

Started correspondence with God, immense faith, asked for money.

Received a lesser amount, blamed the post office employees.

Didn’t realise the irony – they were the real helpers, who had contributed parts of their salary.

Didn’t act practically.

Ans. Lencho was not at all justified in calling them ‘a bunch of crooks’ because they helped in by collecting money and understanding Lencho’s unshakable faith in God. Each one of them parted with some money for the act of charity which ‘a bunch of crooks; would never do.