Gift of the Magi

By O. Henry

Writing PromptIn order to help others or to make someone happy what are you willing to SACRIFICE?

Short Film Clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBT7GhiceWI

Setting and CharactersTime: Takes place over a period of two days Setting: Home in New York city in Avery – a simple decaying apartment

Point of view: third person limited omniscientCharacters:(1) Jim(the husband)(2) Della(major character)(3) Madam Sofronie: the owner of a hair shop. She contrasts with the couple. She represents the materialistic world that is opposite of the emotional world of the story’s main character

Themes1. Marriage: defined as a partnership between husband and wife.2. Poverty: there are many expressions in the story “the shabby little couch ““an electric button from which no mortal finger could coax a ring” “the worn red carpet“

“She saves pennies ““shabby hat and shabby brown jacket”

3. Sacrifice: Della sells her hair (part of her body) to buy a watch chain for Jim. However, he, too makes the same sacrifice. Jim sells his heirloom watch to buy combs for her hair

Della and Jim, young and recently married, love each otherdeeply and have very little money. Della cuts off herbeautiful long hair and sells it to a wig maker so that she canbuy Jim a Christmas gift-an elegant pocket watch Then shediscovers that Jim has sold his watch, his prized possession,to buy a gift for her--a set of elegant combs. The narratorpoints out that Della and Jim may seem foolish, but they havetrue wisdom, the wisdom of the Magi (the wise men whobrought gifts to baby Jesus.

SummaryRONY

Literary Analysis: Irony

Irony is a contradiction between appearance and

reality—it is the difference between what is expected

and what actually happens.

In situational irony, something happens in the

story that contradicts the expectations of a character

or the reader. For example, a runner who trains hard

would be expected to do well in a race. It would be

ironic if she trained so hard that she overslept and

missed the race.

A surprise ending often presents a situational

irony. The turn of events may be startling, but

writers using irony usually build clues into the story

that make the ending logical, just the same.

The Gift of the Magi

What Characters Expect What Actually Happens

Literary Analysis: Irony 1. (a) Identify irony in the story by using a chart like the

one shown. In the first box, note the outcome that Jim and Della expect when they present their gifts to each other. In the second box, describe what actually happens.

The Gift of the Magi

(b) Explain the role of irony in this literary work.

2. (a) Which details in the story make its surprise ending seem like a logical outcome of events? (b) Why do you think surprise endings are such a popular device in literature and movies?