The Gift of Magi By O Henry
Transcript of The Gift of Magi By O Henry
PRESENTATION:THE GIFT OF THE
MAGIBY O. HENRY
Presented To: MS. NAILA NASEEM
Presented By:
UW-15-ENG-MA-008
ALI AFZAL
Author Biography
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.
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.
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.
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
Introduction
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.”
Gift of Magi By O. Henry Themes
Love: Generosity:
Gift of Magi By O. Henry Themes
Wealth And
Poverty :
Sacrifice:
Gift of Magi By O. Henry Themes
Women and
Feminity:
Beauty:
Gift of Magi By O. Henry Illustrations
Gift of Magi By O. Henry Illustrations
Gift of Magi By O. Henry Illustrations
“Yahan To Jazebiyat Bhi Hai Dolat Hi
Ki Parwarda
Yeah Larki Faqa'kash Hoti To
Bad'soorat Nazar Ati”
By John Elia
Thank YouAny Question?