The Gift of Magi By O Henry

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Transcript of The Gift of Magi By O Henry

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PRESENTATION:THE GIFT OF THE

MAGIBY O. HENRY

Presented To: MS. NAILA NASEEM

Presented By:

UW-15-ENG-MA-008

ALI AFZAL

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Author Biography

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O. Henry1862-1910

•Birth name: William Sidney Porter

•Pen name :“O. Henry,” (said to come from the frequent calling of, “Oh,

Henry,” the family cat.)

•Quit school at age 15 to become a pharmacist

•At age 19, became a fully licensed pharmacist and worked in

his uncle’s drug store.

•He took a job as a cowboy in Texas.

•He was known to walk around the ranch with a pocket dictionary

and a book of poems.

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O. Henry1862-1910

•In 1891, he became a teller at the First National Bank in Austin, Texas.•In 1896, he was accused of embezzling money from the bank.•He fled to New Orleans, and later to Honduras, leaving behind his wife and young daughter.•He learned that his wife was dying, returned to America, surrendered to police.•Much debate over his guilt, but he was convicted and sentenced to five years in jail.•In 1898, he was sent to the penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio.

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O. Henry1862-1910

•In prison, he began writing short stories to support his young daughter. He published 12 stories while in prison. He was released after three years for good behavior.•Emerged from prison as, “O. Henry,” to shield his identity. •Moved to New York City in 1902, published over 300 stories and gained worldwide acclaim.

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O. Henry: A Message To His Readers1908 Recording

•“This is William Sydney Porter speaking, better known to you, no doubt, as O. Henry. I’m going to let you in on a few of my secrets to writing a short story. The most important thing, at least in my humble opinion, is to use characters and plots that are life like. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction. All of my stories are actual experiences that I have come across during my travels. My characters are facsimiles of actual people I have known.Most authors spend hours, I’m told even days, laboring over outlines of stories they have in their minds. But not I. In my way of thinking, that’s a waste of good time. I just sit down and let my pencil do the rest. Many people ask me how I manage to get that fine little twist in my stories. I always tell them that the unusual is the ordinary, rather than the unexpected.Now, if you people that are listening to me now start thinking about your own lives, I’m sure you’ll discover just as many odd experiences as I’ve had.…………………continue reading my stories then too. Goodbye folks!” --William Sidney Porter

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Introduction

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Gift of Magi By O. HenryIntroduction

•The story contains many of the elements for which O. Henry is widely known,

including poor, working-class characters, a humorous tone, realistic detail, and a surprise

ending.

•unselfish love.

•Such love, the story and its title suggest, is like the gifts given by the wise men,

called magi, who brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the newborn Jesus.

•The story tells us the unconditional love of Della and Jim for each other. They are

generous and willing to sacrifice everything just to make their partner happy.

•The plot of the story is linear

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Gift of Magi By O. HenryPoint of View

In "The Gift of the Magi," O. Henry uses a folksy narrator to tell the story. There is a narrator with personality and presence. Although

the story focuses on Della's point of view— the reader sees primarily what Della sees—the story is told in another narrative

voice that directly addresses the reader as "you." It is almost as if the narrator is an additional character that is heard, but never

seen, engaging the reader as a friend and sharing his insights into

the Youngs' situation. The narrator tells the story in a joking,

neighborly way, with several funny asides directed at the reader. He uses casual expressions such as "took a mighty pride'' and

interrupts his tale with humorous phrases like "forget the hashed metaphor." Another writer who often uses this technique,

sometimes called authorial intrusion, is Charles Dickens.

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Gift of Magi By O. HenryCharacters

•Della: a loving, warm, selfless, and devoted

woman to her husband.

•Jim: he is the husband of Della who works long

hours but the salary is low.

•Mme Sofronie: the owner of a hair shop

where Della sold her hair.

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Gift of Magi By O. HenrySymbols

•Gold: represents love, purity, money (which the couple

lacks), and eternity (gold does not rust or tarnish) or

divinity, such as Jesus or God himself.

•Watch: represents time, the future (which the couple

hopes to spend together), the end of the year, or eternity.

•Hair: can symbolize many things: youth (young women

generally wear their hair longer), vitality and sexuality. In a

way, by giving up her hair, the woman in the story is

agreeing to give her youth, sexuality, and "best years of her

life" to her husband.

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Gift of Magi By O. HenrySymbols

•Combs: are a symbol of the young

husband's love for his wife, as he gave up

his most precious possession so that his wife

would be happy and beautifully adorned.

•Chain: symbolize their marriage, an

institution that provides a "link" between

two people.

•Christmas: Since the story takes place

at Christmastime, the season can be said to

represent the original Magi

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Gift of Magi By O. HenryAllusion

•A reference in one work of literature to a historical event, person, or

another work of literature, often used to deepen the meaning of the

story.

•According to Christian tradition, the Magi were three wise men or

kings that presented gifts to the infant Jesus.

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Gift of Magi By O. Henry

Stream of

Consciousness:The story is told so that the

reader feels as if they are inside

the head of one character and

knows all their thoughts and

reactions.

Foreshadowing:

“…Now, there were two

possessions of the James

Dillingham Youngs in which they

both took a mighty pride. One

was Jim's gold watch that had

been his father's and his

grandfather's. The other was

Della's hair.”

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Gift of Magi By O. Henry Themes

Love: Generosity:

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Gift of Magi By O. Henry Themes

Wealth And

Poverty :

Sacrifice:

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Gift of Magi By O. Henry Themes

Women and

Feminity:

Beauty:

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Gift of Magi By O. Henry Illustrations

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Gift of Magi By O. Henry Illustrations

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Gift of Magi By O. Henry Illustrations

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“Yahan To Jazebiyat Bhi Hai Dolat Hi

Ki Parwarda

Yeah Larki Faqa'kash Hoti To

Bad'soorat Nazar Ati”

By John Elia

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Thank YouAny Question?