The+Gift+of+the+Magi

Read the short story "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry, either the book version provided by your teacher or the on-line version provided at the end of the home page for the following web site: [|"The Gift of the Magi" Study Guide]. In addition, read the information related to the story provided by this web page. Finally, read and answer the six questions listed on this wiki page - m odified questions from the section, **Study Questions and Essay Topics,** on the study guide web site. Be sure to use complete sentences when you answer these questions.


 * An implied paradox in the story is that Della and Jim Young are both poor and rich—poor in material things but rich in love. Explain how a related figure of speech, irony, plays a role in the story. (See definition of irony in literature on [|dictionary.com - definition of irony].) Write at least 2 sentences to explain your thoughts.
 * “Sudden serious sweetness” is an example of alliteration in the story. An example of a simile is “Jim stopped inside the door, as immovable as a setter at the scent of quail.” List 3 other figures of speech Porter uses and tell how each of them enhances his narrative.
 * Several passages in the story gives subtle clues about the kind of person Jim is. Identify at least three passages and explain what each passage tells the reader about him.
 * Comment on the meaning of the following sentence in the fifth paragraph of the story: “She stood by the window and looked out dully at a grey cat walking a grey fence in a grey backyard.” Write at least 2 sentences to explain your thoughts.
 * Porter refers to the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon in Paragraph 8. Who were they?
 * Three times in the story, the narrator mentions the chops that the Youngs will be having for dinner. Are the chops significant in any way?

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Take the multiple choice HTML quiz on "The Gift of the Magi" found at the following web site: [|"Gift of the Magi" fun trivia quiz]. Report your score to your teacher.