A Letter to God Summary

A Letter to God is a story written by G.L. Fuentes which depicts the firm faith of
a poor and simple-minded farmer named Lencho in God. Lencho was a poor yet
dedicated farmer. He was hoping for a decent harvest. To his dismay, a
hailstorm suddenly destroyed all his crops and the harvest completely. Seeing
the damage, the poor farmer was taken aback and felt sad. However, he had a
strong faith in God. He was a learned man who knew how to read and write.
Due to his straightforward nature, he was certain that God would definitely help
him. Thus, he decided to draft a letter to God while addressing his financial
concerns to him. In the letter, he requested God to send him one hundred
pesos to sow his fields again and save his family from starvation. Soon he
wrote a letter and went to the post office. He placed a stamp on the letter and
dropped it into the mailbox.

When the postman took out the letter from the letterbox, he laughed heartily
after reading it. He immediately rushed to the postmaster and showed him the
strange letter. The postmaster read the letter but laughed out loud when he
noticed that the letter was addressed to God. However, he was also moved by
the faith of the farmer. He lauded the poor farmer’s unquestionable faith in God
and decided to help him. Soon, he asked the employees of the post office to
contribute some money as charity and also gave a part of his salary so that
Lencho’s faith in God is not shaken. However, the money collected was a little
less than what Lencho had requested from God. The postmaster then put all
the money collected in an envelope and addressed it to the poor farmer.

The following Sunday, Lencho went to the post office to check if there was a
letter for him. The postmaster gently handed over the letter to him. Lencho
was not surprised at all to see the letter with money inside the envelope. He
confidently opened the envelope to count the money but became angry when
he saw that there were only seventy pesos in it. He was sure that God could
have never made such a grave mistake. He instantly went to the window to ask
for paper and ink and wrote another letter to God, and dropped it into the
letterbox.

When Lencho had left the place, the postmaster opened and read his letter
immediately. In it, Lencho had raised a complaint to God that he had initially
requested one hundred pesos, but he was upset to find seventy pesos only.
Furthermore, he criticized the post office employees and felt that they must
have stolen the remaining thirty pesos from his envelope. He urged God to
send him the rest of the money since he was in urgent need of it. However, he
requested God not to send the money through the mail because Lencho
thought that the post office employees were ‘a bunch of crooks’ who might
have stolen the remaining money from the envelope.

Conclusion:
In the chapter – A Letter to God, we learnt that faith in God has the power to
move mountains and satisfy our needs. However, it should also be noted that
humanity also prevails in the midst of one’s faith in the Almighty. This story
beautifully sketches Lencho’s deep faith in God and how the post office
employees helped him anonymously by contributing money from their pockets
to help the poor man in crisis.

Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom is an extract from the autobiography of
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela that describes the struggle for freedom of black
people in South Africa. On 10th May 1994, Nelson Mandela took the oath as
South Africa’s first Black President after more than three centuries of White
rule. His party had won 252 out of the 400 seats in the first democratic
elections in the history of South Africa.

Many dignitaries and political figures from several countries attended the
inauguration ceremony that took place in the Union Buildings amphitheatre in
Pretoria. In his speech, Mandela addressed all dignitaries respectfully and
assured his fellow countrymen that his country would never experience similar
suppression by one group over another. While taking his vow as the first black
President, he established democracy in the country and said there would be no
discrimination against people, irrespective of caste, colour, creed or race. He
assured that the government would always treat all the people of the country
with due respect and equality.

The lovely day of inauguration was symbolic for Mandela as the South African
people sang two national anthems – the vision of whites sang ‘Nkosi Sikelel –
iAfrika’ and the blacks sang ‘Die Stem’, the old anthem of the Republic. All
these events reminded Mandela of how black-skinned people were exploited by
white people earlier. He deeply felt the pain of his race and said that this type
of suppression and racial domination of the white-skinned people against the
dark-skinned people on their own land gave rise to one of the harshest and
most inhumane societies the world had ever seen or known. He strongly
believed that no person is born to hate the other person on the basis of skin
colour, background or religion. However, people must learn to hate because if
they learn to hate, they can be taught to love as well, as love comes more
naturally to humans than hate. He also mentioned how a person becomes
brave, not because he does not feel afraid, but because he knows how to
conquer his fears.

Furthermore, Mandela stated that every man in life has two major obligations.
The first one is his obligation towards his family, which includes his parents,
wife and children, and the second is towards his motherland, countrymen and
his community. Everyone is able to fulfil those obligations according to his own
interests and inclinations. However, it was difficult to fulfil both these
obligations as a black man in a country like South Africa before the democratic
wave took over the nation by storm. When Mandela became an adult, he
realised that freedom was merely an illusion and temporary in nature for the
black-skinned people of his country. He felt that they were treated as slaves of
exploitation, and all the people of his race were treated unfairly by the white-
skinned people.

According to Mandela, freedom was indivisible for all. But the people of his
colour and race were bound in chains of oppression and tyranny. He knew that
the oppressor must be liberated just like the oppressed because a person who
snatches another’s freedom is also a prisoner of similar oppression. Thus, the
oppressor is not free too and feels shackled in the chains of oppression himself.

Conclusion:
In the chapter – Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, we learnt that brave
men are not those who never feel afraid but the ones who know how to
conquer fear. Mandela strongly felt that every individual has certain duties and
responsibilities towards his own country and community.

Dust of Snow
Dust of Snow is a short and beautiful poem written by Robert Frost. It is a
motivating poem that tells us how our view of perceiving things changes our
minds and puts a greater impact on our lives. By enjoying the simple moments
of life, we can get rid of our day-to-day problems and worries. This also helps
us in living a happy and healthy life.

In the Dust of Snow poem, the poet mentions a crow, snow and a hemlock tree.
The crow, the dust of snow and the hemlock tree describes the depressive and
sorrowful mood of the poet. Since the poet was not in a good mood, he sees
nature in the same way and describes nature’s bitter side to express his
feelings.

Explanation:

By ROBERT FROST

This poem presents a simple moment, but it has a larger significance. The poet
says that he was in a sorrowful mood and was sitting under a hemlock tree. It
was the winter season, and there was snow all around. A crow was sitting on
the same tree. The crow was shaking down the dust of the snow on the poet.
When a small particle of snow fell on the poet, he was awakened from his
thoughts and then noticed the simple activity going around him. This changed
the poet’s mood. He suddenly realized that he had wasted his time being in
sorrow, and now, he should utilise his remaining day to do some useful tasks.
This realization changes his mood and fills him with positive energy. His
depression and sadness are washed away by the light shower of snow dust. His
heart is filled with happiness, and he gets ready to use the rest of the day in a
good manner and with positive vibes.

Fire and Ice

Fire and Ice is a short poem written by Robert Frost. The poem expresses the
idea that the world will end someday, either by fire or by ice. Here, the poet
has compared Fire and Ice with the self-destructing emotions of human beings.
The Fire and Ice poem beautifully describes how humans let their emotions rule
over them. They have no control over their desires. They work towards
achieving their desires, but the more they work, the more they get trapped in
them. Thus, they never feel satisfied and destroy their life. In a similar way, the
poet thinks that fire and ice will lead to the destruction of the world.

Explanation:

BY ROBERT FROST

In this poem, the poet expresses the two ways in which the world may end.
Some people say that the world will end by fire, while others say that it will end
by Ice. The poet says that he is aware of the “fiery desires” of human emotions,
so he will favour those who say that Fire will end the world. Then, the poet
rethinks again and imagines if the world has to die twice, then Ice has the
capability, similar to Fire, to destroy the whole world.
The poet compares fire and ice with the self-destructive nature of human
beings. According to the poet, Fire stands for desire, greed and lust. There is no
end to such emotions. The more humans try to fulfil them, the more rapidly
these emotions spread, similar to fire. These feelings often engulf human life,
and they get trapped in them. As a result, people become egotist, selfish and
cruel. On the other hand, the poet describes Ice as the rigid, rough and hateful
side of human emotions. People become harsh and do not care about the
emotions and feelings of others. They are indifferent to others’ happiness and
sorrow. Thus, the poet says that since Ice and Fire both are growing at such
rapid speed, the world will end soon, either by Fire or by Ice. The poem conveys
a beautiful message that human emotions rule over them. If humans don’t
control their emotions, they will ruin their life and bring them to the verge of
chaos.

A Triumph of Surgery
The chapter, A Triumph of Surgery, is about a small dog, Tricki, who was always
indulged by his rich mistress, Mrs Pumphrey, with tasty and unhealthy treats
several times a day. Out of love, she would overfeed her pet. Gradually, Tricki
gained oodles of weight and became lazy. He hardly exercised or went out for a
walk due to his bloated structure. In due course of time, he became bulky, and
his lack of movement worried Mrs Pumphrey. Soon, she consulted Mr James
Herriot, a veterinary surgeon, for treatment of her lethargic dog.

Mr Herriot was shocked to see Tricki’s condition and took him to the hospital.
He knew Mrs Pumphrey’s overindulgence would never let her pet dog lead a
healthy lifestyle. He took the dog along with him and put him on a hospital bed.
The dog didn’t move for the first two days and didn’t eat any food either. On
the third day, Tricki went outside and played with other bigger dogs in the
hospital. He ate the food that was given to him and also licked the bowls of
other dogs for the leftover food.

Mr Herriot gave a balanced diet to Tricki along with plenty of physical exercises.
Gradually, Tricki’s condition started improving, and he started fighting with
other dogs for meals. His mistress, Mrs Pumphrey, would send eggs so that her
pet didn’t starve and get enough energy to recover from the treatment.
However, James Herriot and his partners would eat eggs daily for breakfast.
Further, Mrs Pumphrey also sent bottles of wine to enrich Tricki’s blood. But
those again were consumed by Mr Herriot and his partners. He felt sorry for
eating the food that was sent by Mrs Pumphrey for Tricki. Soon, as the little dog
started showing signs of improvement, the vet decided to call the wealthy lady
as she was very worried about her pet’s condition. When she arrived in the
hospital to fetch her pet, Tricki was very happy and jumped on her. Mrs
Pumphrey was filled with gratitude towards Mr Herriot for curing her dog and
felt she couldn’t thank him enough for the wonder he had done to her pet. She
felt this was indeed a triumph of surgery.

Conclusion:
The chapter A Triumph of Surgery signifies how rich parents indulge their
children with expensive items, which prove harmful to their kids’ health in the
long run.

The Thief’s Story

The Thief’s Story is written by Ruskin Bond. The story is about a young fifteen-
year-old boy, Hari Singh, who befriended people in order to rob them. One day,
he met Anil during a wrestling match. Anil was a twenty-five-year-old man who
was leading his life casually. He was a struggling writer who would make small
money with his writing prowess. Hari flattered Anil by trying to befriend him
and asked him for some work.

Anil asked Hari if he could cook, to which the young boy replied affirmatively.
Hearing this, Anil took him to his room and promised to teach Hari how to read,
write, add numbers and cook delicious meals. Sometimes, Anil would give a
rupee to Hari as a tip for his efforts. One fine day, Anil received a bundle of
notes for his published articles. He kept the money under his mattress, and
Hari happened to notice this. At midnight, when Anil was fast asleep, Hari
stealthily slipped his hand and stole the money kept under the mattress. He
immediately left for the railway station to board a train to Lucknow.
Unfortunately, he missed the train and wandered across the streets. As it was
pouring heavily, he got drenched completely.
Soon, Hari began to feel agitated and was regretful for stealing money from an
honest man like Anil, who treated him so well. He felt guilty for cheating Anil,
who taught him how to read and write his name and add numbers. Suddenly,
Hari Singh had a change of heart, and he decided to return to Anil. Although
the notes had become soggy due to rain, he kept the money in the same spot
from where he retrieved it. The following day, when he woke up, he found Anil
was normal as usual. The young man offered Hari fifty rupees and said that he
had rightfully earned it. Anil further said that he would pay Hari regularly.
However, when Hari touched the money, he realised that the money was still
damp. Hari understood that Anil was aware of his misdeed the previous night,
but the young man still didn’t treat him with disgust or hand him over to the
police. On the contrary, Anil promised to teach Hari how to write full sentences.
After this incident, Hari Singh was filled with gratitude and respect for Anil, and
he decided to mend his ways and become a noble human being like Anil.

Conclusion:
The Thief’s Story focuses on human values and relationships which are
significant in our lives and how those values have the power to change an
individual.