The Gift of the Magi Questions and Answers
by O. Henry

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• The Gift of the Magi
  Describe the irony in "The Gift of the Magi."
  Irony is created when what actually happens is different, even the opposite, of what we expect to happen. Verbal irony is when someone says the opposite of what they mean. Situational irony is when...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  In "The Monkey's Paw" and "The Gift of the Magi," there are symbols of the paw and of the gifts of the combs and watch chain. What do each of the symbols represent? Use text examples to support your answers.
  The monkey's paw is a symbol of evil. Mrs. White draws back from the withered paw in disgust, but Herbert and his father are drawn to the seductive power it offers. The Sergeant-Major explains, It...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  In "The Gift of the Magi," in what ways are Jim and Della foolish? In what ways are they wise? How is it possible for them to be both foolish and wise? O. Henry describes Jim and Della as “two foolish children” in “The Gift of the Magi.” He also...
  O. Henry is known for his ironic turns and surprise endings, and this story is no exception. The audience knows that Della has sold her hair. We know that it is her most prized possession, but that...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  What is the exposition, rising/falling action, climax, and resolution of "The Gift of the Magi"?
  The exposition is the beginning when Delia and Jim Young find themselves in desperate circumstances just a couple of days before Christmas. The rising action is the decision of Delia to cut her...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  What's the theme of the story?
  O. Henry is not generally regarded as a particularly profound or complex writer. The reader is apt to find that, after a few stories, the plot twists at the end come to seem rather mechanical. "The...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  Compare the "Gift of the Magi" by O.Henry and "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant.
  Both stories end with an ironic twist that is essentially tragic. Both Jim and Della in "The Gift of the Magi" and Madame and Monsieur Loisel in "The Necklace" make enormous sacrifices, but for...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  What were there 3 of in this story?
  The word three only shows up once in the story—when Della, at the beginning, three times counts her meager pile of change to discover she has only $1.87 for a Christmas gift for her husband, Jim....

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• The Gift of the Magi
  Allusion In The Gift Of The Magi
  All of your listed allusions are indeed allusions because any allusion refers to something famous. The "rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters" is a simile, not a metaphor because it...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  At the end of the story, the narrator, in reference to Jim and Della, says, "Of all who give gifts these two were the wisest." Why does the narrator think that Jim and Della are wise? Support your answer with text.  
  In the final paragraph of the story, the narrator describes the original magi, the wise men in the story of the Christ child's birth. They gave wise gifts, expensive gifts, though it cost them...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  Who are the two foolish children to which the authors refers in "The Gift of the Magi"?
  In O. Henry's classic short story "The Gift of the Magi," he refers to Jim and Della Dillingham Young as two foolish children who unwisely sacrificed the greatest treasures of their house for each...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  What is the theme of "The Gift of the Magi"? How does it develop throughout the text? Cite evidence from the beginning, middle, and end to support your response.
  One theme of this text is that people are willing to make sacrifices for those that they love. These sacrifices make the love more meaningful. Della sacrificed her dignity and pride all year by...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  Which figurative language technique is used in the following sentence? "I couldn't have lived through Christmas without giving you a present."
  Merriam Webster's Encyclopedia defines "figurative" language as the use of words in a way in which the author "expresses one thing in terms normally denoting another," using words that can be...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  Where does the number three appear in the story? There are at least nine occurrences. Find and mention five.
  In the first paragraph, we are told that Della has managed to save up one dollar and eighty-seven cents with which to purchase a Christmas gift for her husband, Jim. The narrator says, "Three times...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  What is the theme of the story "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry?
  There are three main themes defined within O. Henry's short story "The Gift of the Magi." Love The theme of love is shown through the selfless actions of both Della and Jim. Each, through a showing...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  How much were Jim and Della aware of their economic condition?
  In O. Henry's classic short story "The Gift of the Magi," both Jim and Della are well aware of their depressing financial situation. At the beginning of the story, Della counts her $1.87, which she...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  What are two notable sentences featuring alliteration in "The Gift of the Magi"?
  Alliteration can be defined as the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. A classic example would be the famous tongue-twister "She sells...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  What was the price offered by Madane Sofronie for Della's hair?
  In O. Henry’s short story The Gift of the Magi, husband and wife Jim and Della Dillingham Young want to get one another presents for Christmas. The story is mostly told from Della’s perspective,...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  What is a good example of a "blues" poem for the situation in "The Gift of The Magi"? Please, I need a good example of a poem with this format: http://xroads.virginia.edu/~music/BLUES/iihpojd.html
  Well, to be frank, it seems unlikely that you'd link the blues with this story, since it is one about a rather tender and sentimental act…not the loss, pain, and frustration associated with the...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  Which sentence from the text suggests that Jim is not fully confident about his gift to his wife?
  In O'Henry's classic short story "The Gift of the Magi," Jim and Della Dillingham Young live on a meager budget and struggle to make ends meet. Despite their modest financial situation, both Jim...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  What is the plot diagram for "The Gift of the Magi"?
  Exposition: The opening scenes where Della is counting her money and realizing that she is short. Also, when O. Henry describes the shabbiness of their apartment. This lets us know two crucial...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  Why does O. Henry often speak directly to his audience? Give an example of one of these instances.
  O'Henry speaks directly to his audience for two reasons. First, this form of narration draws readers into the story and creates a sense of intimacy with the narrator. The speaker and the readers...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  The holidays are often considered a time for family. Consider the role of family in the story "The Gift of the Magi." In the context of this story, what is the meaning of family? Cite evidence from this text, your own experience, and other...
  In this story, it becomes apparent by the end that family and the love of family are everything. They are worth one's sacrificing one's most prized and beloved possession, and they would sacrifice...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  Why do you think the story is titled "The Gift of the Magi"? Who are magi in the bible?
  In the Bible, in the Gospel of Matthew, the magi are the three kings—also called the three wise men—who travel from far away lands to bring the baby Jesus valuable gifts of gold, frankincense, and...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  What resources do Della and Jim have in "The Gift of the Magi"? How do they use them?
  Della and Jim are a young married couple. Their material resources are rather slim so they improvise to make the best of their situation. Their primary resources, which are not material, are what...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  Do you agree that love and sacrifice is the theme of the story? Why?
  One could certainly acknowledge that love and sacrifice are the two primary themes of O. Henry's classic short story "The Gift of the Magi." In the story, Jim and Della are extremely poor and they...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  Describe the relationship between Della and the Queen of Sheba.
  O'Henry makes the following allusion to the Queen of Sheba in the story: Had the Queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out of the window some day...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  Where do Della and Jim live in "The Gift of the Magi"?
  In "The Gift of the Magi," Della and Jim live in a larger city described as being colorless ("grey") in a very humble apartment that lacks furnishings—rough or otherwise. Within the city itself are...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  What are two ways you can tell the couple is struggling financially?
  We need look no further than the first line of the story to find an example of Jim and Della's hardship: One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. It's coming up to Christmas, and Della...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  What is the summary of "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry?
  "The Gift of the Magi" is the story of a young, rather poor, married couple. Jim and Della don't have very much money but they are very much in love. The most valuable items in their possession are...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  In "The Gift of the Magi," O. Henry tells the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. Explain.
  In O. Henry's classic short story "The Gift of the Magi," Jim and Della are an extremely poor young couple who wish to purchase expensive, worthy Christmas gifts for each other. Della does not have...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  How did Della save her one dollar and eighty-seven cents?
  Della has somehow managed to scrimp together the tiny sum of one dollar and eighty-seven cents. It's taken her a lot of effort to put together such a small amount, but even so, it's still not...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  According to the narrator of The Gift of the Magi, which type of moments mostly make up life?
  At the beginning of the story, Della steadily counts her one dollar and eighty-seven cents multiple times before she bursts into tears and begins crying on her couch. The following day will be...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  At the end of the story, the narrator, in reference to Jim and Della, says, "Of all who give gifts these two were the wisest." Why does the narrator think that Jim and Della are wise?
  The ending of “The Gift of The Magi” tells of the beautiful sacrifices Jim and Della make for one another. In this famous story, Jim sells his pocket watch to buy Della a set of combs for her hair,...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  How does the author of "The Gift of the Magi" unfold the irony of Jim having bought the combs for Della's hair, which is no more now?
  This effect is achieved through the use of the narrator, who lets the reader in on what Della and Jim want to do for each other (get each other a wonderful gift, which they really cannot afford)....

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• The Gift of the Magi
  Is the title "The Gift of the Magi" appropriate?
  This would probably be a personal judgment call, as no one can dictate whether you should think the title of a story works or not. That being said, we can try to discuss this title within the...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  In "The Gift of the Magi," why are Jim and Della compared to the Magi? How are they the wisest?
  The point that O. Henry makes about gift-giving in "The Gift of the Magi" is one that has been tritely summed up with the aphorism, "It's the thought that counts." In the cases of Jim and Della,...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  Where does Della get the $1.87 from, according to the text "The Gift of the Magi"?
  In O'Henry's "Gift of the Magi," we learn that Della gets the $1.87 to purchase her husband's Christmas gift by pinching every possible penny from the household shopping budget. In fact, sixty...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  Compare and contrast the effectiveness of the endings of the stories "The Gift of the Magi" and "Lamb to the Slaughter".
  Both "Lamb to the Slaughter" and "The Gift of the Magi" have endings that are unique, creative, and definitely a distinct twist on the stories themselves. They both surprise the reader: in "The...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  Do you think O. Henry himself is the narrator of the story, "The Gift of Magi"? Why or why not?  
  There are several reasons to think that O. Henry is the narrator of his own story. One is that there is a great deal of authorial input. The author is commenting on his own story with...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  Why is the story called "The Gift of the Magi"?
  The Magi were the three wise men who brought gifts to the baby Jesus. They had travelled many miles and gave unselfishly to a child. This act of love is mirrored in the story "The Gift of the...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  Why is "The Gift of the Magi" an interesting story?
  There are several elements that make a story interesting. These may vary from person to person. However, “The Gift of the Magi” has been a well-loved story for generations. A lot of people must...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  Who was King Solomon and  in this context why does O. Henry mention him  in "The Gift of the Magi"?
  King Solomon's story is recorded in the Bible Old Testament book of First Kings. King Solomon was the son of King David and succeeded King David, bringing the twelve tribes into a united and strong...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  What is the setting in "The Gift of the Magi"?
  O. Henry generally used one of five settings which were the American South, New York, the West, prison, or Central America. For The Gift of the Magi, he chose to set this story in New York.He paid...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  What would be the direct and indirect characterization in "The Gift of the Magi"?
  It can be difficult at times to distinguish between indirect and direct characterisation. However, direct characterisation can only ever occur in a story with a third person point of view, as it is...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  What are some of the figures of speech in The Gift of the Magi?
  It would be difficult to list them all in a single answer because this story is full of them, but here are a couple more examples. O Henry uses in allusion in refering to the riches of King...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  In "The Gift of the Magi," what is the situational irony?
  Situational irony can be defined as when we as readers are led to believe that one thing is going to happen only to be shocked and surprised when something entirely different or the opposite of...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  What happened next? I like to have my students extend this short story by writing about what happens next in the story. Some like to write about ways in which the couple can enjoy their seemingly useless gifts, others write about how they can get...
  Della kept the combs, of course, and her hair eventually grew out long enough to be able to wear them. Much later, on their oldest daughter's wedding day, Della gave the combs to Mary for the...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  What is the gift O'Henry refers to in the title and how is it related to the magi in "The Gift of the Magi?"
  The real gift is the love that Jim and Della have for each other. Jim and Della were very poor, but each wanted to surprise the other with a meaningful gift for Christmas. This was because they...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  What does Della plan in the story "The Gift of the Magi"?
  Della's problem in the story is raising the money she needs to purchase a suitable Christmas present for Jim. The first step in her plan involves saving as much money as possible from the amount...

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• The Gift of the Magi
  What details of character and setting has O. Henry included to show the conflict and the characters' reactions to this conflict in "The Gift of the Magi?"
  Della and Jim Dillingham have fallen upon hard times and their clothes and their flat reveal some of their hardships. In the exposition of O. Henry's story, Della counts out her money which falls...

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