Examples Of Sacrifice In The Gift Of The Magi

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People are always trying to inspire others to “put others before yourself.” What this quote is telling them to do is stopping in their tracks and helping someone else before helping yourself. In the story “the Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry, Della and Jim struggle to find the money to buy Christmas gifts for each other. This story teaches us about love, sacrifice, and happiness and that sometimes you have to sacrifice something you treasure to make someone else happy.
Della cuts her hair just to give Jim happiness and Jim sells his watch to give Della happiness, this is a perfect example of sacrifice. They both sold their most prized possession in order to buy something special for one another. As you can see, they were both very sacrificial in this story. However, some things don’t always go as intended. Although they were both sacrificial, Della had cut of her hair and sold it in order for Jim to gain happiness. Jim on the other hand, sold …show more content…
At first, Jim was struck by the sight only because his present for her was of no use. As Jim says in the story, “I don’t think there’s anything in the way of a haircut or a shave or a shampoo that could make me like my girl any less.” (4) This is saying that Della was so concerned about Jim not loving her for who she was but in the end Jim loves her for her for who she is.
Last but not least, When Della finds the perfect gift she is full of exhilaration. As Della says to in the text “It surely had been made for Jim and no one else.” (2) This explains that when she found a gift for Jim that she knew had potential and was made just for Jim.
All in all, sometimes you have to sacrifice something you treasure to make someone else happy. This text is important because it teaches the reader to be generous and giving to the ones they love. O. Henry develops a theme by the character’s actions and love for each

Gifts Of The Magi Allusion

that authors use. An allusion is when the author makes a reference to something of importance that is well known and should be recognized by the reader. An example of an allusion from “Gifts of the Magi” is when the author talks about the Queen of Sheba and how Della would have shown off her hair “. . .and mocked at Her Majesty’s jewels and gifts.” READING THIS QUOTE(PARTICIPIAL), a reader can infer that Della values her hair more than the treasures of the Queen of Sheba. This allusion also provides…

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The Magi

Love, sacrifice, generosity, and happiness are all common motifs in “The Gift of the Magi.” However, they are all interconnected in the story to produce one overall theme, but how is this theme developed in the story? O. Henry’s short story, “The Gift of the Magi,” centers around Della and James Dillingham Young who struggle to buy one another Christmas gifts. In O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi,” he develops the theme that putting others before oneself is the ultimate sacrifice to prove love and…

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ENG125 Assignment WK2 Essay examples

Heartwarming Theme of “The Gift of The Magi” Jennifer Robinson ENG 125 – Introduction to Literature Instructor: Alessandra Cusimano June 24, 2013 Heartwarming Theme of “The Gift of The Magi” Most great stories have a list of ingredients that hook a reader and keep them wanting more. Some of those ingredients are conflict, climax, suspense , and strong characters. All of these things can be found in “The Gift of the Magi” along with a theme that will warm the heart of the most ornery person…

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Sacrifice In The Gift Of The Magi

The truest show of love is through a sacrifice. O. Henry, author of “Gift of the Magi,” uses characters Della Dillingham and Jim Dillingham to help support the theme. Henry uses characterization and sacrifice to develop the theme of his writing. First off, Della Dillingham is explained to be loving and sacrificial. Paragraph 13 Della says, “Will you buy my hair?” Della sacrifices her most prized possession, her hair, for her true love. She is not only loving and sacrificial though. Della can also…

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Research Paper

10 April 2015 The Necessity of Sacrifice This paper is about personal feelings on the topic of sacrifice. Nothing is gained without something being given up. The main idea of this paper is to persuade the reader into having a different opinion on the topic of sacrifice for love. Sacrifice is necessary in most relationships because if one genuinely loves the person that he or she is with, they will do anything in their power to make the other one person happy. Sacrifice could be unnecessary, because a lot of…

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Use Of Irony In The Gift Of The Magi

In the short story, The Gift of The Magi by O. Henry, the author tells the story of how a married couple spends all of their money to buy each other gifts. There are named Della and Jim. When they receive the gifts, they can no longer be used. The couple had given up their most prized possessions to afford a gift that was supposed to be used for the other’s prized possession. In The Gift of The Magi by O. Henry, the theme of love and sacrifice is developed through irony, symbolism, and characterization…

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The Gift Of The Magi Comparative Essay

People, in different economic classes and places in the world can be very much alike. The story “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry tells the story of a couple who isn’t pleased with their economic status, though they make sacrifices to see each other happy. The protagonist, Della sacrifices her hair, something that was important to her, to see her husband happy. In addition, “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant tells the story of an unpleased wife, Mathilde, whose husband has to go through rough times…

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Compare And Contrast The Necklace And The Gift Of The Magi

In the short stories “The Gift of the Magi” and “The Necklace” the females both struggle with financial issue and have different ways to solve their problems. The woman named Della in “The Gift of the Magi”, written by O. Henry, does not have enough money to get her husband a gift, and is willing to give something precious up in return for money to get her husband a gift. In Guy de Maupassant’s “The Necklace” the female character Mathilde is not very considerate and would rather spend a lot of money…

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Irony In The Gift Of The Magi

The author of “The Gift of the Magi”, O. Henry, uses indirect characterization and situational irony to establish the theme of the story, true love is selfless. To begin, Henry indirectly characterizes Della as a very giving woman, holding true to the theme of selfless love, she is deeply in love with Jim despite their perilous financial situation. Sitting and sobbing in her shabby flat Della counts her money on Christmas Eve, a meager sum. Given her pathetic conditions, she feels as if “life is…

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Literary Analysis Essay

Essay The author, O. Henry, wrote The Gift of the Magi, which is a story about how a married couple goes out of their own way to show compassion and love for one another by their gifts. They sacrifice their most precious possessions in order to have enough money for each other’s gifts. The author, Ascher, wrote On Compassion, which is an article that gives her opinion and feeling toward compassion and how it is used in the modern day. She uses examples of what she has seen and gives her thought…

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