Theme and Narrative Elements: The Gift of the Magi ENG 125: Introduction to Literature Theme and Narrative Elements: The Gift of the Magi The Gift of the Magi is a short story that was written by William Sydney Porter‚ better known by his pseudonym O. Henry in 1906. O. Henry was a prolific author penning many short stories beginning in 1899 until his death in 1910. O. Henry is famous for his trademark surprise endings which he called “snapper” endings (Clugston‚ 2010) and
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Theme and Narrative Elements Thomas Nichols ENG125: Introduction to Literature (GSH1315G) Instructor: Kyla Hammond April 21‚ 2013 Theme and Narrative Elements The short story described here is I used to Live Here Once. The theme described in the short story is life’s spiritual journey. Three of the literary elements present in the story include symbolism and mood. The major theme from this short story is about life’s spiritual journey. At the beginning of the story‚ the
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There are lots of components in a good story‚ plot‚ theme‚ characters‚ structure and so many more. A lot of stories are better than others because of the components of good irony‚ relate-able characters‚ and a good structure. Irony makes a really good story because it lets you discover a lot about a character and if he is good or bad‚ gonna do something to someone or help someone‚ and the personality of the character. For example writer Van Tomphson on his website says “This approach to irony can
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Irony in “The Gift of the Magi” In The Gift of the Magi‚ O Henry uses irony to place special emphasis on love and sacrifice. O Henry is known for his use of irony in his short stories. Irony is defined as: “the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning” (dictionary.com). In The Gift of the Magi‚ O Henry uses verbal‚ situational and dramatic irony to tell his story. The most obvious and prominent type of irony used in The Gift of the Magi was situational irony
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The Value of Love in “The Gift of the Magi” I. Introduction. Introduce thesis: Short story written by O. Henry in which love is more important than any material item and the value of a gift lies in the sacrifice behind it‚ rather than its material value. Thesis: The main characters in “The Gift of the Magi” value love over material things. II. Plot. A. Della and Jim are a married young couple living in an $8 a week apartment. 1. Della only has one dollar and eighty-seven cents saved to buy the
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In the gift of the magi by O. Henry‚ he shows two people who love each other so much that they will sacrifice their favorite things for the other. The gift of the magi is about two people; Della and Jim. It is Christmas Eve and Della wants to give her husband Jim a nice gift but all she has is $1.87. She ends up giving up her prized possession (her hair) to get a chain for his watch‚ and her husband sold his watch (his prized possession) to get combs for her hair. They end up with a gift that they
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THE GIFT OF MAGI Della and Jim Young‚ the main characters in "The Gift of the Magi‚’’ are a young married couple with very little money. Jim has suffered a thirty-percent pay cut‚ and the two must scrimp for everything. On the day before Christmas‚ Delia counts the money she has painstakingly saved for months. She is dismayed to find she has less than two dollars‚ hardly enough to buy anything at all. After a good long cry‚ Delia determines to find a way to buy Jim the present he deserves. As she
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The Theme and Narrative Elements ENG 125: Introduction to Literature “The Welcome Table” The story of “The Welcome Table” by Alice Walker (1970)‚ theme tells the story of an old black woman name Clara Ward‚ who worked as a slave for the whites the majority of her lifetime‚ who knows the feeling or fears of being an aged black woman‚ alone and no longer had a use or a purpose in her life. I say this because it was mentioned at the beginning of the story‚ and mist of the story the whites
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Summary “The Gift of the Magi” “The Gift of the Magi” is a wonderful short story. It is the brilliant story that shows the true meaning of selfless love that the author tries to let the readers to know from the Christmas gifts. It is not what the gifts are ‚ but the meaning behind the gifts is more important. This text is a story about Della and Jim Young ‚ a married couple with very little money. On the
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Across the world‚ many people struggle with insecurities‚ of their money and love‚ taking over their lives. In the wonderful story “The Gift of the Magi” By O’Henry‚ Della‚ the thoughtful main character‚ is struggling with these same issues‚ but she then learns that love can be shown in many different ways. She learns this as she is trying to find a gift good enough for her husband‚ Jim. Throughout the story‚ Della shows many signs of her insecurities‚ but in the end she learns that there is no need
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