The Gift of the Magi by: O. Henry
What are some strange gifts you have received? Have you ever received or given a gift that ended up being ironic? i.e. Sesame Street Christmas
O. Henry Pseudonym of William Sydney Porter O. Henry was born William Sydney Porter in Greensboro, North Carolina Web English.com
A master of surprise endings, who wrote about the life of ordinary people in New York City; a lot of his stories had an ironic twist at the end Left school at the age of 15 to work in a drugstore, but was an avid reader Webenglish.com
In 1897 he was convicted of embezzling money, although there has been much debate over his actual guilt. He was put in a penitentiary in 1898 and this is where he began writing. Webenglish.com
Henry's best known work is “The Ransom of Red Chief” Other popular works: HEART OF THE WEST, 1907 WHIRLIGIGS, 1910 Webenglish.com
Vocabulary Instigates Meretricious Depreciate Ravages Cascade Discreet Page 523 Instigates Meretricious Depreciate Ravages Cascade Discreet Chaste
Literary Analysis Plot is the sequence of events that make up a story. Plot is divided into 5 sections: Exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution.
http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/toolkits/images/TMP_plotdiagram_large.jpg
Exposition – The scene is set and background information is provided Rising Action – The central conflict is introduced Climax – The high point of conflict Falling action – The conflict lessens Resolution – The conflict concludes and loose ends tie up
Where is the story set? - New York, Christmas 1905 What point of view is the story told from? - Third person; we know this because the word “I” isn’t used and we don’t know the inner thoughts of any of the characters Who are the main characters? - Della Young - Jim Young
Summarize the exposition It’s Christmas Eve Della only has $1.87 for her husband’s gift
What conflict is introduced? The conflict is between Della’s poverty and her desire to buy something special for Jim. Another small conflict is that Della wants to save money but at the same time does not want to seem stingy.
What does Della buy for Jim? A watch chain How can Della afford this watch chain? She sells her beautiful, long hair How much does the watch chain cost? $21.00
Why does Della buy Jim a watch chain when he needs a new coat and a pair of gloves? A coat and gloves are everyday things. Della wanted her gift to be something special that would show Jim how much she loved him.
Where can one find the climax of the story? The climax of the story is when Jim receives his watch chain and the reader and Della are waiting for his reaction. It could be said that when Jim gives Della the combs is the climax. Which one do you think it is and why?
What is the ironic twist of this O. Henry story? Jim’s and Della’s gifts are now useless because each person sold their most prized possession to get the other one their gift. The hair combs are no good without hair and the watch chain is no good without a watch.
Activities Review and Assess (page 530) Worksheet (http://ellerbruch.nmu.edu/classes/cs255f01/cs255students/bmaki/P11/giftofthemagiws.pdf) Essays (pages 5 and 6) http://users.aber.ac.uk/jpm/ellsa/ellsa_giftofmagi.pdf