TEACHGYAN • CLASS 10 ENGLISH • FIRST FLIGHT

A Letter to God

Complete chapter guide • explanation • themes • vocabulary • literary devices • competency questions • board practice

📖 About the Chapter

A Letter to God by G. L. Fuentes is a story about Lencho, a poor farmer whose crop is destroyed by a violent hailstorm. His deep faith in God leads him to write a letter asking for money. The story explores faith, hope, human kindness and the irony created by Lencho’s interpretation of events.

🌾 Story at a Glance

1. Lencho and His Farm

Lencho is a hardworking farmer who depends on his crop for his livelihood. He watches the sky because rain is essential for his field. At first, the rain appears to be exactly what he needs. He compares the raindrops to coins because he expects the rain to bring a good harvest and financial security.

2. The Hailstorm

The weather suddenly changes. Hailstones fall heavily and destroy the crops. The field that promised a good harvest is left devastated. Lencho’s family has lost its main source of income.

3. Lencho’s Faith

Despite the disaster, Lencho has complete faith that God will help him. He writes a letter requesting 100 pesos so that he can sow the field again and survive until the next crop.

4. The Postmaster’s Response

The postmaster is impressed by Lencho’s faith. Instead of laughing at the unusual letter, he decides to help. He contributes part of his salary and persuades colleagues to contribute. They collect 70 pesos and send the money to Lencho.

5. The Irony of the Ending

Lencho is not surprised that the money arrives. He believes that God has sent it. But because he requested 100 pesos and receives only 70, he concludes that the post-office employees must have taken the remaining 30 pesos. This creates the story’s central irony: the people who actually helped Lencho are the very people he suspects.

👤 Character Study: Lencho

• Hardworking: his livelihood depends on farming.
• Faithful: he trusts completely in divine help.
• Hopeful: he believes the destroyed crop can be restored.
• Naive: he does not recognise the human effort behind the money.
• Suspicious: he distrusts the post-office employees after receiving less than he requested.

👤 Character Study: The Postmaster

The postmaster is sympathetic and humane. He respects Lencho’s faith and takes practical steps to preserve it. His actions demonstrate generosity even though Lencho never understands who actually helped him.

🎯 Major Themes

Faith

Lencho’s absolute belief in God drives the entire plot.

Human Kindness

The postmaster and his colleagues help a stranger without expecting recognition.

Hope in Crisis

After losing his crop, Lencho searches for a way forward instead of giving up.

Irony

The reader knows the truth about the money, while Lencho interprets the event differently.

📚 Important Vocabulary

Word	Meaning
Conscience	Inner sense of right and wrong
Amiable	Friendly and pleasant
Solitary	Alone or isolated
Contentment	A state of satisfaction
Intimately	Closely or in detail

✍️ Literary Devices

• Simile: Lencho compares raindrops to coins.
• Metaphorical imagery: the rain is associated with financial prosperity.
• Irony: Lencho suspects the very people who helped him.
• Personification: natural phenomena are described in human-like ways in parts of the narrative.

🔍 Key Ideas to Understand

1. Why does Lencho need rain?
2. Why does the rain become a disaster?
3. Why does Lencho write to God?
4. Why does the postmaster help him?
5. Why does Lencho call the post-office employees a “bunch of crooks”?
6. How does the ending create irony?

🧠 Competency-Based Questions

1. Lencho’s faith is strong but his understanding of the source of help is limited. Explain with evidence from the story.
2. How does the postmaster’s response show empathy?
3. Why is the ending more powerful because the reader knows what Lencho does not?
4. What does the story suggest about the relationship between faith and human action?

📊 Case-Based Question

🔥 HOTS

1. Is Lencho’s faith admirable, problematic, or both? Support your answer with evidence from the story.
2. Why does the author choose the postmaster as the person who protects Lencho’s faith?
3. How would the story change if Lencho discovered who sent the money?

✍️ Board-Style Questions

Short Answer

1. Why did Lencho compare the raindrops to coins?
2. Why did Lencho write a letter to God?
3. How did the postmaster help Lencho?
4. Why was Lencho angry after receiving the money?

Long Answer

1. Describe Lencho’s character with suitable incidents from the story.
2. Explain the role of faith and irony in “A Letter to God”.
3. “The postmaster was a kind and generous man.” Discuss.

📝 Practice Worksheet

1. Write the story events in chronological order.
2. Match five vocabulary words with meanings.
3. Answer five MCQs based on the chapter.
4. Write a 50-word character sketch of Lencho.
5. Explain the ending in 80–100 words.
6. Write a 120–150 word analytical answer on faith and irony.

🎯 One-Minute Revision

Farmer Lencho → hopes for rain → hail destroys crop → writes to God → postmaster collects 70 pesos → Lencho receives help → suspects the post-office staff → irony.

🏆 Mastery Checklist

• ☐ I can narrate the story in sequence.
• ☐ I can explain Lencho’s character.
• ☐ I can explain the postmaster’s role.
• ☐ I can identify irony and other literary devices.
• ☐ I can answer competency and analytical questions.

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