F 3: The Letter (by Dhumaketu)
Q. Why do you think the postmaster was keen on delivering the letter to Ali himself?
A. When the postmaster did not receive a letter from his daughter for one night he realized the anxiety which Ali had been facing for the past five years. Pumped up with fatherly feelings, empathy and repentance for his insensitivity, the postmaster wanted to deliver Ali's letter himself.
Q. The postmaster calls Ali a pest. Was he right in doing so? Give reasons.
A. Ali's persistent inquiry about his daughter's letter annoyed the postmaster who was in a hurry. Thus, out of a momentary impulse of anger, he called Ali a pest. Ali who never obstructed the work of the post officer and only waited quietly for his daughter's letter did not deserve such a rude rebuke.
Q. Extrapolative
Rebuked by the postmaster, Ali walks away from the post office with a heavy heart. Imagine you are Ali. Write a diary entry in about 150 words to express your condition.
16th May 1945 8:30 PM
Another day passed and no news from Miriam has come. My days are numbered I feel.
Today, as usual, I visited the post office to find if there was a letter. And today, as usual, the postmaster and his colleagues were indifferent and insensitive towards me. But today the postmaster was unusually rude. When I asked him about Miriam's letter, then he was in a hurry and hence got irritated and regarded me as a past.
I guess this insensitivity, these rebukes which I am receiving are the fruit of my past wrong doings as a hunter. The very feelings I showed to the animals are the very feelings I am facing now.
I only wish that when Miriam's letter comes, then they don't be so insensitive and deliver it to my grave for my wish to know of her well being would not be fulfilled while I am alive.
Ali
Ali
Q. RTC
"The post office, one of the most uninteresting buildings in the world, became his place of pilgrimage."
i) Who is being referred to here?
A.i) Coachman Ali is being referred to here.
ii) Why did he come to the post office?
A.ii) Coachman Ali visited the post office every day without fail, to inquire about his daughter's letter.
iii) Why has the journey been called a pilgrimage?
A.iii) The journey has been called a pilgrimage because Ali religiously visited the post office daily despite harsh weather or rain. He had been doing so for the past five years without fail.
Q. How do you know Ali was a familiar figure at the post office? [N.C.E.R.T.]
A. Five years of visiting the post office on a daily basis had made the old Ali a familiar figure at the post office. Accustomed to his daily visits, the workers at the post office insensitively made fun of him occasionally. once an employee mockingly called out Ali's name while distributing letters even though there was no letter for poor Ali. The taunts and the insensitivity of the employees is a proof that Ali was familiar to them.
Q. Why did Ali give up hunting? [N.C.E.R.T.]
A. Ali once used to be a very sharp and able hunter. No animal could escape his eagle eyes. Bu this used to be before Mirriam's marriage. Once Mirriam was married and separated from her father, Ali's addiction, as it was, of hunting faded away. He now realised the pain of separation and became a sensitive man.
Q. What impression do you form of the postmaster after reading the story 'The Letter'? [N.C.E.R.T.]
A. The postmaster was an inanimate and indifferent figure. His job at the post office was a burden on him and its monotony was reflected on his features. He initially was a petulant, impatient and insensitive man. He was extremely rude to Ali when the latter had made a visit to the post office for the last time. But even this cruel man had a change of heart when he faced an anxiety similar to that of Ali. It took just one night of endless suspense and wait for his daughter's letter to make the postmaster a sensitive and compassionate human being. He became so humble that he himself delivered Ali's letter to his grave.
Q. How do you know Ali was a familiar figure at the post office? [N.C.E.R.T.]
A. Five years of visiting the post office on a daily basis had made the old Ali a familiar figure at the post office. Accustomed to his daily visits, the workers at the post office insensitively made fun of him occasionally. once an employee mockingly called out Ali's name while distributing letters even though there was no letter for poor Ali. The taunts and the insensitivity of the employees is a proof that Ali was familiar to them.
Q. Why did Ali give up hunting? [N.C.E.R.T.]
A. Ali once used to be a very sharp and able hunter. No animal could escape his eagle eyes. Bu this used to be before Mirriam's marriage. Once Mirriam was married and separated from her father, Ali's addiction, as it was, of hunting faded away. He now realised the pain of separation and became a sensitive man.
Q. What impression do you form of the postmaster after reading the story 'The Letter'? [N.C.E.R.T.]
A. The postmaster was an inanimate and indifferent figure. His job at the post office was a burden on him and its monotony was reflected on his features. He initially was a petulant, impatient and insensitive man. He was extremely rude to Ali when the latter had made a visit to the post office for the last time. But even this cruel man had a change of heart when he faced an anxiety similar to that of Ali. It took just one night of endless suspense and wait for his daughter's letter to make the postmaster a sensitive and compassionate human being. He became so humble that he himself delivered Ali's letter to his grave.
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