The Literary Analysis Essay Using The Gift of the Magi by O’Henry as an example text

The Essay Prompt Today’s Assignment: ▫Write an essay in which you describe three literary elements and their purpose in The Gift of the Magi

Writing A Thesis Statement for a Literary Analysis Essay Read the story, taking notes as you read. Once you've read the story or novel closely, look back over your notes for patterns of questions or ideas that interest you. ▫Have most of your questions been about the characters, how they develop or change, or about setting, mood, or tone, which effect plot and theme?

Look at your notes: For example: If you are reading O’Henry’s The Gift of the Magi, are you most interested in how the author develops a sense of irony throughout the story? Question: What does O’Henry seem to be suggesting about the world, people in it, or life in general (you are asking yourself to identify a theme)? Answer: O’ Henry suggests that love is more important than material things. Pitfalls: Choosing too many ideas. Choosing an idea without any support.

Formulate Ideas for Thesis Statement Once you have some general points to focus on, write your possible ideas in question form and answer them. For example: Question: How does O’ Henry develop the idea that love is more important than material things? Answer: He uses characterization, mood, and irony to convey the meaning of love in the story.

Write the Thesis Statement: To write your thesis statement, all you have to do is turn the question and answer around. You've already given the answer, now just put it in a sentence so that the thesis of your paper is clear. For example: In his short story, The Gift of the Magi, O’ Henry uses characterization, mood and irony to convey that it is not necessary to buy expensive gifts in order to express feelings of love.

Example Thesis and Its Parts In his short story, The Gift of the Magi, O’ Henry uses characterization, mood and irony to convey that it is not necessary to buy expensive gifts in order to express feelings of love.

PreWriting, Thesis, Support and Organization (worksheet) Thesis Statement: In his short story, The Gift of the Magi, O’ Henry uses characterization, mood and irony to convey that it is not necessary to buy expensive gifts to express feelings of love. Key Point #1 Characterization Evidence: “...”( ).Elaboration Key Point #2 Mood Evidence:Elaboration Key Point #3 Irony Evidence:Elaboration Organization

Thesis Statement: In his short story, The Gift of the Magi, O’ Henry uses characterization, mood and irony to convey that it is not necessary to buy expensive gifts to express feelings of love. Key Point #1 As O’ Henry begins his story, he uses direct and indirect characterization to familiarize the reader with the main character, Della. Evidence: “...”( ).Elaboration Key Point #2 In addition, O’ Henry sets the mood as being somewhat desperate in order to increase the reader’s sympathy towards Della and her situation. Evidence:Elaboration Key Point #3 Finally, O’ Henry creates a sense of irony to further formulate his point. Evidence:Elaboration Organization

Each Body Paragraph Has: 1)Topic Sentence that connects and transitions to the previous paragraph. 2)Lead In sentence that leads to the evidence by stating what is happening at that point in the story. 3)Evidence (quote or detail), cited with page number and quotation marks (if needed). 4)1-2 elaboration sentences that explain the evidence, its purpose, and how it relates to the theme. 5)A concluding sentence.

Example Body Paragraph (TS) As O’ Henry begins his story, he uses direct and indirect characterization to familiarize the reader with the main character, Della. (LEAD IN) For example, Della is the loving, warm, and selfless, but she is also financially poor. (EVIDENCE) AThis is evident as stated in the story, “She had been saving every penny she could for months…planning for something nice for him” (5). (ELABORATION) Although Della does not have much money, she saves whatever she can because it is important for her to buy Jim a nice gift. (ELABORATION) This show the reader that she puts Jim’s happiness before her own needs. (CS) Through this use of characterization, O’ Henry enables the reader to connect to Della and appreciate the love she feels for Jim.

Writing the Introduction Begin with a hook. Briefly touch on the plot of the story. Create a thesis statement that identifies genre, author, title and theme of the story, as well as provide a roadmap of your essay.

Example of Introduction Finding the perfect gift for a loved one can be stressful yet rewarding, but it does not necessarily have to be costly. In “The Gift of the Magi” by O’ Henry, a poor young couple find out that their love for one another is more important than any gift. In this short story, O’ Henry uses characterization, mood and irony to convey that it is not necessary to buy expensive gifts to express feelings of love.

Writing the Conclusion Begin with a direct transition. Restate the thesis in different words, Summarize the main points you have made, Do not introduce a new topic in your conclusion. End by connecting to your hook and giving the reader something to think about.

Sample Conclusion (Transition) In conclusion, (Restate thesis) the use of characterization, mood, and irony clearly facilitate O’ Henry’s ideas on how love is always more important than expensive gifts. (Summarize) The use of characterization through the actions of the main character shows how much she is willing to sacrifice for love. In addition, the mood of the story helps the reader to connect to the characters. Finally, the irony of both characters selling what was most important to them only to receive a gift for use with that item really drives forth O’ Henry’s point. (Connection to hook) If two people truly love one another, they need not buy each other expensive gifts; they only need to show their love for one another through being together and being willing to sacrifice for one another.