CBSE Class 10 English Chapter 1 A Letter To God

A LETTER TO GOD

NOTES

Detailed summary

A Letter to God Introduction

Author G.L. Fuentes, a Mexican novelist and playwright, was born in Panama City. He travelled extensively when young. He served as Mexican Ambassador to France (1975-77).

An energetic cultural promoter, he was also a reviewer and wrote many articles. His first collection of fantastic, myth-inspired short stories Los Dias Enmascarados (The Masked Days) appeared in 1954. His masterpiece, however, was Terra Nostra (Novel) (1975).

In this short story, Fuentes talks about a hard-working, simple and God-fearing farmer Lencho. Lencho is in ruins because of an untimely hailstorm. With full faith, he writes a letter to God, asking him for some money. He gets money through post collected by post office employees. But he is not satisfied because he gets less money.

A Letter to God Summary In English

Lencho was a hard-working farmer he had unquestionable faith in God. He lived in the solitary house on the crest of a low hill. From here, he could see the rivers and his field of ripe corn which wanted rain at least shower. As lencho look toward the northeast, he expected rain.

His prediction came to true when it started raining at dinner time. But his happiness turned to sorrow when rain turned into a hailstorm. Within an

hour, it had destroyed the whole crop. Lencho’s soul was filled with sorrow. This year would be bad without food. But all the residents of that house had firm faith in God. Lencho decided to ask God for help. 

Although a simple, strong farmer, he could write. He wrote a letter to God asking for a hundred pesos to sow his fields again since is his crop had been destroyed by the hailstorm. He addressed the letter to God and posted it. 

One of the employees at the post office so it and, laughing heartily, took it to the Postmaster. He was amused but impress at such faith in God. To sustain that faith, he decided to answer the letter. He opened the letter and realised that it needed something more than a paper and ink. Undeterred, he managed to collect seventy pesos from employees and friends. He put these pesos in an envelope and signed only ‘GOD’.

The letter was handed over to Lencho when he came to collect it. But as soon as he counted the money, he was annoyed to find less money. He asked for paper and pen. He again wrote a letter to GOD and dropped it in a box. The postmaster opens it soon as soon as he left the letter. The letter read: “God: of the money I ask for, only seventy pesos reached me. Send me the rest, since I need it very much. But don’t send it through the mail, because the post office employees a bunch of crooks – Lencho.”

EXERCISE QUESTION AND ANSWERS

1. What did Lencho hope for?

Answer 

Lencho hoped for rains as the only thing that his field of ripe corn needed was a shower.

2. Why did Lencho say the raindrops were like ‘new coins’?

Answer

Lencho’s crops were ready for harvest. As raindrops would have helped in getting a better harvest, resulting in more prosperity, so Lencho compared them with new coins

3. How did the rain change? What happened to Lencho’s fields?

Answer 

The rain was pouring down. But suddenly, a strong wind began to blow and very large hailstones began to fall along with the rain.
All the crop in Lencho’s fields destroyed.

4. What were Lencho’s feelings when the hail stopped?

Answer 

After hail stopped, Lencho’s soul was filled with sadness.He could see a bleak

future for him and his family. Hew was worried about lack of food for the coming year.

Oral Comprehension Check

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

Answer 

Lencho had faith in God. He believed that God’s eyes see everything, even what is deep in one’s conscience. He wrote a letter to God saying that he needed a hundred pesos to sow his field again.

2. Who read the letter?

Answer 

Postmaster read the letter.

3. What did the postmaster do then?

Answer 

The Postmaster first laughed. But then he became serious. He was deeply moved by the writer’s faith in God. He did not want to shake this faith. So he decided to collect the money and send it to Lencho. 

Oral Comprehension Check

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

Answer

No. Lencho was not at all surprised to see the letter from God with money inside it. His confidence and faith in God was such that he had expected that reply from God.

2. What made him angry?

Answer 

When he finished counting moneyhe found only seventy pesos. But he demanded hundred pesos. He was confident that God could neither make a mistake nor deny him what he had requested. Therefore, he concluded that the post office employees must have taken the remaining thirty pesos.

Thinking about the Text

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

Answer 

Lencho had complete faith in God. The sentences in the story that show this are as follows:
(i) 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.
(ii) 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.
(iii) “God,” he wrote, “if you don’t help me, my family and I will go hungry this year.”
(iv) He wrote ‘To God’ on the envelope, put the letter inside and, still troubled, went to town.
(v) God could not have made a mistake, nor could he have denied Lencho what he had requested.
(vi) It said: “God: of the money that I asked for, only seventy pesos reached me. Send me the rest, since I need it very much.”

2. Why does the postmaster send money to Lencho? Why does he sign the letter ‘God’?

Answer

Postmaster was moved by Lencho’s complete faith in the God. So, he decided to send money to Lencho. Moreover, the postmaster did not want to shake Lencho’s faith in God. So, he signed the letter ‘God’. It was a good ploy to convey a message that God had himself written the letter.

 

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

Answer 

No, Lencho does not try to find out who had sent the money to him. This is because he had great confidence in God and never suspected that it could be someone else other than God who would send him the money. His faith in God was so strong that he believed that God had sent him the money.

4. 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 people have taken the money. It is the post office people who send the money to Lencho. But, on the other hand, Lencho thinks they have stolen his money. He calls them crooks. Thus there is an element of irony in this situation.

Page No: 8

5.Are there people like Lencho in the real world? What kind of a person would you say he is? You may select appropriate words from the box to answer the question.

Greedy	Naïve	stupid	ungrateful
selfish	comical	unquestioning

Answer 

I don’t think there can be any such people in the real world. Lencho is literate and yet he dosen’t know how his letter will reach God without any address.
He probably would be naïve and unquestioning.


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

Answer

The conflict between humans and nature is shown by the destruction of Lencho’s crops by the hailstorm. As the crops failed by hail, Lencho started feeling sad and gloomy after the storm appropriately projects the conflict of the nature and the man. The Story also shown another conflict, between humans themselves. The postmaster, along with the help of the other post office employees, sent Lencho the money that they could manage to collect. They were not related to Lencho in any manner. It was an act of kindness and selflessness on their part. Even though they did a good deed, Lencho blamed them for taking away some amount of money. This shows that man does not have faith in his fellow humans, thereby giving rise to this conflict.

Thinking about the 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? You may use a dictionary to help you.

gale,	whirlwind,	cyclone,
hurricane,	tornado,	typhoon

 

1. A violent tropical storm in which strong winds move in a circle:
__ __ c __ __ __ __
2. An extremely strong wind: __ a __ __
3. A violent tropical storm with very strong winds: __ __ p __ __ __ __
4. A violent storm whose centre is a cloud in the shape of a funnel:
__ __ __ n __ __ __
5. A violent storm with very strong winds, especially in the western Atlantic ocean: __ __ r __ __ __ __ __ __
6. A very strong wind that moves very fast in a spinning movement and causes a lot of damage: __ __ __ __ l __ __ __ __

Answer

1. Cyclone

2. Gale
3. Typhoon
4. Tornado
5. Hurricane
6. Whirlwind

2. Match the sentences in Column A with the meanings of ‘hope’ in Column B.

	A		B
1.	Will you get the subjects you want to study in college? I hope so.	−	a feeling that something good will probably happen
2.	I hope you don’t mind my saying this, but I don’t like the way you are arguing.	−	thinking that this would happen (It may or may not have happened).
3.	This discovery will give new hope to HIV/AIDS sufferers.	−	stopped believing that this good thing would happen
4.	We were hoping against hope that the judges would not notice our mistakes.	−	wanting something to happen (and thinking it quite possible)
5.	I called early in the hope of speaking to her before she went to school.	−	showing concern that what you say should not offend or disturb the other person: a way of being polite
6.	Just when everybody had given up hope, the fishermen came back, seven days after the cyclone.	−	wishing for something to happen, although this is very unlikely

Answer

	A		B
1.	Will you get the subjects you want to study in college? I hope so.	−	wanting something to happen (and thinking it quite possible)
2.	I hope you don’t mind my saying this, but I don’t like the way you are arguing.	−	showing concern that what you say should not offend or disturb the other person: a way of being polite
3.	This discovery will give new hope to HIV/AIDS sufferers.	−	a feeling that something good will probably happen
4.	We were hoping against hope that the judges would not notice our mistakes.	−	wishing for something to happen, although this is very unlikely
5.	I called early in the hope of speaking to her before she went to school.	−	thinking that this would happen (It may or may not have happened.)
6.	Just when everybody had given up hope, the fisherman came back, seven days after the cyclone.	−	stopped believing that this good thing would happen

Page No: 9

3. Join the sentences given below using who, whom, whose, which as suggested.
1. I often go to Mumbai. Mumbai is the commercial capital of India. (which)
2. My mother is going to host a TV show on cooking. She cooks very well. (who)
3. These sportspersons are going to meet the President. Their performance has been excellent. (whose)
4. Lencho prayed to God. His eyes see into our minds. (whose)
5. This man cheated me. I trusted him. (whom)

Answer 

1. I often go to Mumbai, which is the commercial capital of India.
2. My mother, who cooks very well, is going to host a TV show on cooking.
3. These sportspersons, whose performance has been excellent, are going to meet the President.
4. Lencho prayed to God, whose eyes see into our minds.
5. This man, whom I trusted, cheated me.

Page No: 10

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

1. The trees lost all their leaves.
_______________________________________________________________
2. The letter was addressed to God himself.
_______________________________________________________________
3. The postman saw this address for the first time in his career.
_______________________________________________________________

Answer 

1. The trees lost all their leaves.
Not a leaf remained on the trees.
2. The letter was addressed to God himself.
It was nothing less than a letter to God.
3. The postman saw this address for the first time in his career.
Never in his career as a postman had he known that address.

Page No: 11

5. In pairs, find metaphors from the story to complete the table below. Try to say what qualities are being compared. One has been done for you.

Object	Metaphor	Quality or Feature Compared
Cloud	Huge mountains of clouds	The mass or ‘hugeness’ of mountains.
Raindrops
Hailstones
Locusts
		An epidemic (a disease) that spreads very rapidly and leaves many people dead.
	An ox of a man.

Answer

Object	Metaphor	Quality or Feature Compared
Cloud	Huge mountains of clouds	The mass or ‘hugeness’ of mountains
Raindrops	A curtain of rain	The draping or covering of an area by a curtain
Hailstones	The frozen pearls	The resemblance in colour and hardness of a pearl
Locusts	A plague of locusts	The consequences (destruction) of plague
Locusts	A plague of locusts	An epidemic (a disease) that spreads very rapidly and leaves many people dead
Man	An ox of a man	The working of an ox in the fields (hard work)

 

NCERT Solutions Of Chapter Dust Of Snow Class 10 –

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Dust of Snow Introduction

The poem “Dust of Snow” by Robert Frost is a simple and short poem, yet with a deeper and larger meaning. The poet explains how an act as petty as experiencing snow on one’s body can brighten one’s day up. The message of the poem is put into words by Robert Frost:

“Always, always a larger significance…
A little thing touches a larger thing.”

Summary of Dust of Snow Class 10 English

The winter season has arrived and the poet was not in a good mood. He was not feeling good and happy from the inside. The snow has covered the entire place in a white carpet. He was sitting idle under a hemlock tree. It was clad with white snow. Suddenly, a crow perched on a branch in that tree. The imbalanced snow fell on him. It was soft, velvety and cold. The Summary of Dust of Snow Class 10 English describes how this simple incident made him change from all gloomy to happy. The soft-touch of the cold snow was interpreted as the care of nature making everyone happy. His bitterness vanished and he felt a lot refreshed by the incident. His entire day became enlightened and he felt a streak of joy running his mind.

People consider black crows as the symbol of fear, bad luck and death but the poet realized something different in his bitter mood. He realized that the crow is a part of nature. He depicted that even if a crow is linked to a bad omen, it still brought him happiness. He realized that the mood and perception of a person have to do everything he analyzes and concludes. For him, the crow made his day brighter by shaking the branch and let the snow fall on him.

Robert Frost might have chosen a tree that symbolizes happiness, joy and merriment. Despite the fact, he chose to go with hemlock trees. These trees are poisonous and toxic to human beings. As you can see, the poet has used negative proper nouns to show happiness.

The poet was feeling quite down that day. He was feeling utter despair and wanted to end his life. Despite the poisonous tree and the omen of the black crow, the white snow made him change his mind. He was aware of the toxic snow falling on him from the hemlock branch. As per the Class 10 English poem Dust of Snow Summary, he chose positivity that the serene white snow delivered when he touched it. He suddenly realizes that life is what you choose to do. He shook off all his negative feelings and started to see life in a different and happier way. According to him, it was nature that made him realize that he was going in the wrong direction.

The poem is the perfect depiction of what life can be. It all depends on the person and his thoughts. Your choices and emotional state will decide whether you will be happy in life or not. The poet, even though he was suffering from utter despair and witnessed a bad omen under a hemlock tree, chose to bring a positive change and move on. A small gesture from nature made him realize how beautiful life can be if we know how to live it. The NCERT Class 10 English Dust of Snow Summary suggests we need to find happiness in smaller things to overcome the bad phases of life.

 

Dust of Snow Question and Answers

Q1. What is a “dust of snow”? What does the poet say has changed his mood? How has the poet’s mood changed?  

A. “Dust of snow” refers to the tiny particles of snow. The particles are so small that poet referred to them as “dust”. The poet was in an awful mood when particles of snow had fallen on him. This changed the poet’s frame of mind instantly and his day got a lot better. 

Q 2. How does Frost present nature in this poem? The following questions may help you to think of an answer. 

(i) What are the birds that are usually named in poems? Do you think a crow is often mentioned in poems? What images come to your mind when you think of a crow? 

A. Birds like sparrow, nightingale and peacock are more than often named in poems. Unlike these birds, crows are often seen as the indicators of doom and fear. They are often used for negative references.

(ii) Again, what is “a hemlock tree”? Why doesn’t the poet write about a more ‘beautiful’ tree such as a maple, or an oak, or a pine? 

A. Trees are also seen as mighty creatures imparting wisdom as they’re too old. They give out oxygen and absorb the carbon dioxide which is connected with absorbing all the negative energy. But there are trees that are poisonous too, like a hemlock tree. The poet does not mention a more ‘beautiful’ tree such as maple, oak or pine because he wants to indicate a sad scene. Being poisonous, a hemlock tree is considered bad and so, he refers to it.

(iii) What do the ‘crow’ and ‘hemlock’ represent — joy or sorrow? What does the dust of snow that the crow shakes off a hemlock tree stand for?

1. Both crow and the hemlock tree represent sorrow. Frost has used both the negative creatures (crow and the hemlock tree) as the carriers of positivism and strength that transformed his day for the better. By not using birds like sparrow and nightingale and trees like maple, oak or pine, the poet has tried to break down all the preconceived notions we have about certain agents of nature. He has tried to make us understand that we see the world not as how it is, but as how we want to see it. Thus, the crow sitting and a hemlock tree together made his day better.  The dust of snow stands for joy.

 

Fire and Ice (Poem)

Central Idea of the Poem
The poem, ‘Fire and Ice’ by Robert Frost revolves around the theme that human emotions are destructive when allowed to run amok (out of control). They can destroy a person morally, mentally and physically. The poet impresses upon the readers, the destructive results of bearing ill feeling like-greed, avarice, lust, conflict, fury, hatred, intolerance, etc.

Fire and Ice Summary

Robert Frost’s poem “Fire and Ice” is a strong symbolic poem where fire is used as the emotion of desire and ice, that of hatred. He has used the idea of two groups who have their own possible explanation for the end of the world. One is of the opinion that fire alone can destroy each and every possibility of life on Earth while the other thinks that if ice as a result of extremely low temperatures could cover the earth’s surface, it would lead to the end of the world. Both the components are compared with self-destructing human emotions: desire and hatred. The poet is original of the opinion that he has been very closely associated with the “fiery desires” and considers it capable of bringing human beings on the verge of destruction. Thus, he considers fire as more competent for destruction. But then he thinks that “icy hatred” is just as capable of ruining humans, though slowly and steadily. Therefore, if Earth was to end twice, ice would be just as good as fire. If fire would lead to rapid destruction, ice would lead to silent damage. Similarly, if fire is pure passion, ice is pure reason. Thus, the poem, very artistically, underpins the philosophy that we let our emotions rule us and if don’t control them they will surely bring us all on the verge of chaos. 

Fire and Ice Question and Answers

1. There are many ideas about how the world will ‘end’. Do you think the world will end some day? Have you ever thought what would happen if the sun got so hot that it ‘burst’, or grew colder and colder?

A. Unfortunately, the world is going to end one day and there is nothing we can do about it. There are many ideas as to how it will end but one can’t say surely. The reason that life exists only on Earth is that the circumstances and temperature is apt to make it possible. If the sun gets so hot one day that it is at the verge of bursting, it would lead to rapid destruction as there would be fire everywhere. Conversely, if it grows colder and colder, there will be ice everywhere on Earth and life in any form would not be able to sustain at such low temperatures.  

2. For Frost, what do ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ stand for?

Here are some ideas: 

• greed 
• avarice 
• cruelty 
• lust 
• conflict 
• fury 
• intolerance
•  rigidity 
• insensitivity 
• coldness 
• indifference 
• hatred

A. According to Frost, ‘fire’ stands for greed, conflict, fury, cruelty, lust and avarice whereas ‘Ice’ stands for insensitivity, coldness, intolerance, indifference, rigidity and hatred.

3. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem? How does it help in bringing out the contrasting ideas in the poem?

A. The rhyme scheme of the poem is “aba abc bcb”. The poet has used the rhyming beautifully to bring about contrasting ideas in the poem. He has used the ideas of two groups who believe that the world would come to a catastrophic end either as a result of fire or ice. Simultaneously, he portrays these two essential components as features of destructive human emotions: desire and hatred. Just like fiery desires and icy hatred can cause damage to an individual in an irreparable manner, fire and ice can lead the world at the verge of chaos and thus, apocalypse.