The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry

“The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry

Point of View refers to the method of narration used in a short story, novel, narrative poem, or work of nonfiction.

 First-Person: The narrator is a character in the story.

 Third-Person Limited: The narrator is not one of the characters in the story; he/she is outside the action. He/she tells what one specific character thinks, feels, and observes.

 Third-Person Omniscient: The narrator is not one of the characters in the story; he/she is outside the action. He/she is all-knowing and sees into the minds of all the characters. He/she tells us what multiple characters think, feel, and observe.

Irony is a special kind of contrast between appearance in reality – usually one in which reality is the opposite of what it seems.

 Situational Irony: a contrast between what a reader or character expects and what actually exists or happens.

 Dramatic Irony: the reader or viewer knows something that a character does not know.

 Verbal irony: someone knowingly exaggerates or says one thing and means another.

Vocabulary

 instigate (verb): to stir up; provoke

 vestibule (noun): a small entryway within a building

 agile (adjective): able to move quickly and easily

 falter (verb): to hesitate from lack of courage or confidence

 ransack (verb): to search or examine vigorously

 prudence (noun): the use of good judgment and common sense

 ravage (noun): serious damage

 assertion (noun): a statement

 coveted (adjective): greedily desired or wished for

 chronicle (noun): a record of events

After Reading Questions: Answer the questions below.

1. Why is Della unhappy when the story begins?

2. What two possessions do Della and Jim treasure? Della: Jim:

3. What sacrifices do the Youngs make to buy each other gifts?

Della: Jim:

4. Go back through the story and find at least 2 passages that hinted at the surprise ending.

Quote 1: Quote 2:

5. This story contains situational irony. Fill in the chart below.

What Della Plans: What Actually Happens:

What Jim Plans: What Actually Happens:

6. Reread lines 22-24. In this and many other passages, the narrator speaks directly to the reader.

Describe the narrator’s personality. Evidence/Quote:

7. Reread lines 178-186. Here the narrator uses an allusion, or indirect reference to a person, place, event, or literary work.

Why does the narrator compare Della and Jim to the Magi? What does this imply about the characters and events in the story?

What does this story seem to be saying about material Evidence/Quote: possessions? 9. For several years in the early 1900s, O. Henry was one of the most widely read short story writers in the United States. Even today, some of his stories are considered classics. What elements in “The Gift of the Magi” might account for his continued popularity?

Vocabulary in Context: Write the letter of the word that is most different in meaning from the others.

1. (a) destruction (b) ravage (c) ruin (d) creation

2. (a) stop (b) stir (c) urge (d) instigate

3. (a) desired (b) coveted (c) craved (d) unwanted

4. (a) cellar (b) vestibule (c) foyer (d) entryway

5. (a) waver (b) proceed (c) falter (d) hesitate

6. (a) assertion (b) declaration (c) denial (d) statement

7. (a) limber (b) clumsy (c) flexible (d) agile

8. (a) loot (b) plunder (c) organize (d) ransack

9. (a) history (b) record (c) chronicle (d) prediction

10. (a) carelessness (b) caution (c) prudence (d) wisdom