Chase Tidmore Intro To Lit Analyst Ms. Sheperis 10/20/11 Irony Within “The Gift of the Magi” “Irony is a disciplinarian feared only by those who do not know it‚ but cherished by those who do”‚ Soren Kierkegaard knew what he was talking about when he said these famous words. “The Gift of the Magi”‚ written by William Sidney Porter‚ often known by his pen name O. Henry. It is a short story depicting literary elements of irony‚ romance‚ and Porter’s sense of twist endings‚ and is all about a
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an event in a story that the reader doesn’t expect and is surprising. Irony gives a story the extra power that will make it more interesting. The irony in a story will be when the events take a turn‚ and a reader’s jaw drops with astonishment. This literary element give a story the ending that it needs in order to be remembered. Irony comes in many forms‚ and some are more surprising than others. In the short stories‚ “The Censors”‚ written by Luisa Valenzuela and “The Gift of the Magi”‚ written by
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Sidney Porter‚ this master of short stories is much better known under his pen name "O. Henry." He was born September 11‚ 1862 in North Carolina‚ where he spent his childhood. O. Henry’s stories are famous for their surprise endings‚ to the point that such an ending is often referred to as an "O. Henry ending." He was called the American answer to Guy de Maupassant. Both authors wrote twist endings‚ but O. Henry stories were much more playful and optimistic. His stories are also well known for witty narration
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In the story of The Gift Of The Magi was this young lady named Della who had been working for months‚ and only made one dollar and eighty-seven cents. The next day was christmas and she didn’t have enough money to buy her significant other named jim a present. Della found the money to buy jim a present‚ but at the end of the day both of the gifts were worthless but meant a lot to each other. This story relates to The Neckless in a few ways. The Necklace is about a young lady named Mathilde who’s
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O.Henry‚ whose short stories had built up his great reputation. And the story “The gift of the Magi” was one of those short stories. Anyone who reads this story for the first time may mistake it for a fairy tale because of its title. However there are underlying meanings behind this name‚ which substantially contribute to the value of this story. They are the author’s emphasis on the value of the gifts and his deep appreciation and admiration for the love of two main characters Jim and Della.
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In the short story‚ The Gift of the Magi written by O. Henry the point of view is told in third person omniscient. According to our text‚ third person omniscient is when the narrator looks at the events of the story externally and relates to the characters. We don’t know how Jim feels about much of anything‚ but he still uses Jim to tell part of the story. The point of view in this short story is for the most part consistent throughout the story‚ but at one point in the last paragraph of
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Situational irony was a key factor in The Gift of The Magi. Without the irony‚ the story would have been less interesting to readers and have a lesser meaning. The irony connects the story together fully and catches the reader’s eye. Della and Jim‚ the two main characters‚ are married and live in a small flat together. They are poor and only have 2 items that they see to have great value‚ Della’s hair and Jim’s watch. Della’s hair is long‚ curly‚ and beautiful. Jim’s watch is gold and has been passed
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short story‚ “The Gift of Magi” by O.Henry‚ Jim and Della make sacrifices for each other that show their love. Jim and Della have many financial troubles‚ but they still show their strong love for each other. Also‚ the watch that Jim carries around with him is one of his most‚ valued‚ prized possessions. Lastly‚ the irony shown throughout the story comes with a big twist. O.Henry projects the idea that love is shown through selfless actions by Della not having enough money to buy Jim a gift‚ a symbolic
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In each of the stories stated there is quite a predicament. In O.Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi” Della and Jim are both faced with a contradiction: they need to buy each other a Christmas present but do not have the money to do so. Both end up making sacrifices and it turns out that the presents that they got each other were for the sacrifices that they made. In Guy de Maupassant’s “The Necklace” Mathilde and Loisel also faced with a contradiction: they have lost a necklace that Mathilde borrowed
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Love Story by Taylor Swift. The lyrics of this song contain a reference to Romeo and Juliet‚ creating an allusion which once again‚ makes this song more memorable. In most stories‚ movies‚ and songs‚ the creator of said work‚ uses figurative language to help create description that he would be unable to when using just regular language. The stories The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst‚ Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut‚ and The Gift of the Magi
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