Saturday, December 28, 2013
Literary Analysis "The Gift of the Magi"
How to Write about Irony in a Literary Essay
Look over this article about how to write about irony found in a story. Next, read "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry. Write an analysis of the story based on the author's use of two literary devices, irony is one device and you may choose the other.
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Who doesn't like that story? Anyone? Anyone?
ReplyDeleteI didn't think so.
However, I will admit, rereading it is like a fresh stab to the heart. You are so happy at the end and yet so terribly devastated.
That's irony for you. Or, more specifically, situational irony.
Situational irony is when no individual involved in the story, neither audience nor characters, has any idea as to the outcome of the events told. In this case, the audience follows the action of Della, Jim's wife, and the extensive actions she took to ensure that he received a suitable gift for Christmas. What the reader thinks, or rather hopes, is going to happen is that the husband will be excited about his gift. Be beyond grateful and convey his gratitude to his wife in every way he can imagine and finally feel as proud of himself as Della feels he should.
But we all know that is not the case.
However, irony used well is never just thrown into a story to mess with the reader's head. No. In this case it conveys a lesson and does so admirably well. It is used to illustrate the power of giving as a selfless act. The husband and wife could not utilize the gifts which the other had work so hard to attain for them, however, the gifts are still appreciated with the same verve. The ironic occurrence fills most readers with that feeling of both dread and joy. Dread at seeing their work go wasted, but joy at knowing it wasn't really wasted at all because such a pure act of selfless love is never entirely in vain.
What's interesting about the presentation of the irony is the way that the narrator takes a step back to explicitly state the lesson that is to be learned here.
The narrator is actually an underrated and equally striking figure for the story. The narrator speaks to the audience as it would an old friend. He is certainly not an unbiased, third party observer rather he speaks intimately with the reader. He/she is not formal in his language as he offend ceases the story's action to reveal new details about the characters or the setting, mentioning them like something spoken off-hand.
The story ends in this same manner, fading away from the main actions to explain the story's tale and to ensure that the reader undoubtedly understands all there is to be learned from this marvelous tale.
Danielle,
DeleteI really enjoyed your blog. I thought that the irony in the story was situational as well. I think that you did a good job at explaining why the irony was used in the story and how it positively affected the story. Finally, I liked what you said about the author. I did not notice that until you mentioned it. Nice blog!
Danielle,
DeleteYou made some really good points in your blog. One point that stood out to me was how you described the narrator. Now that I come to realize it, he does seem to talk to the reader as if they were an old friend. I liked how you included this in your blog because he sets the tone, making irony possible to be an occurring theme in the story. Nice blog!
Nice job Danielle! I have always considered this story uplifting because I find comfort in the fact that wordly possessions mean nothing. It is a good reminder that relationships are what really matter. In that regard, I am sure you are enjoying your family and friends. Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteThat was actually a really nice story. It reminds me of that one where that one girl wanted to go to that one ball. This story is packed with irony.
ReplyDeleteThe first type of irony was verbal irony. It's when someone thinks one thing but carries out with another action. This one was the least relevant, and he hardest one to find, but I think I managed to find one. So this girl Della had these feelings about what her husband was going to think about her. One second she thinks that he will praise her because she went through a lot of trouble just to buy him a chain, and another second she looked like a truant schoolboy in a choir or, what was it. A Coney Island Oompa Loompa? I don't know. But anyways you get the point. It's ironic okay?
The second type of irony is dramatic irony. It's when the audience knows something that the characters in the story don't, or vice versa. For instance: Jim doesn't know that he's in for a surprise when he gets home. Della is going to look like an Oompa Loompa but only because she got him a really expensive Christmas present. The reader does not know that Jim got Della some combs she always wanted. Now that she cut her hair she couldn't use the combs, but hey, they're selfless givers, which is a good thing. Right?
Last but not least, the third type of irony is situational. It's when neither the reader nor the people in the story know what is going to happen. I found that the end result was what the situational irony was. Neither the reader or the characters knew what the end result of the buying was going to be. There was inclination that the woman thought hat Jim would hate her because she wasn't pretty anymore, well at least that's what she thought. But at the end everyone loved everyone and they lived happily ever after.
So yep, that's my odd explanation of the story of the Magi. Even though I'll regret half the things I said in this blog, I think you'll enjoy it.
Matt,
DeleteI think it is great that you were able to find all three types of irony in the story. I personally did not see them until I read your blog, but now they seem to make sense. Also, I did enjoy your blog just like you said I would, as always. I think that you did a great job.
Matt Bobby,
DeleteWhy do your blogs always make me laugh? Haha! I commend your effort to find three kinds of irony in the short story. Nice effort! I am, however, slightly confused about the verbal irony example. Your references to choir boys and Coney Island Oompa Loompas were funny, but I struggled to see how they connected. Haha! Other than that, I definitely agree with the other two types of irony you discovered, especially the situational irony. Great analyzing, Matt! Happy New Year!
Matt Bobby,
ReplyDeleteI liked your blog. I think that the way that you found three different types of irony was interesting. I did not see those types of irony. I think that they all were present. One suggestion that I would make would be to read over the article above on how to write about irony because it explains that you should tell the reader why the irony was used. Nice blog!
This story was very interesting. I thought that the irony used in the story was genius. Without the irony in the story, the plot would have had to change. It was essential to the entire story. The type of irony that I found in the story was situational irony. This is the type of irony where the reader and the characters do not know everything. In the case of this story the woman is unsure what her husband is going to get her for Christmas, but she does not think that he will sell his watch for it. She says that the two most important things in their family where the watch and her hair. Both items were sold for the other to buy a present for the other. Another ironic part of the story comes about when the gifts are exchanged. The man's present for his wife is a comb to use for her hair, but she sold it to buy his present. The same goes for the woman who bought the chain for the watch, but the man did not have it anymore because he sold it. This irony allows the entire moral of the story to be extracted. The actual present does not matter as much as the thought and effort that is put into getting it.
ReplyDeleteAs I briefly stated earlier the irony was very effective. It was essential to making the entire story come together. If the author took out any of the irony the story would not have made as much sense.
Pathos is also used in this story. The entire story deals with the emotion of the reader. The author uses the situational irony to make the pathos heighten. The reader is unsure what will happen next, but has emotions when they find out what happens.
Kraus,
DeleteI agree that situational irony plays a major role in this story. I also think that without it the story would have been a lot different and it defiantly wouldn't have had the same effect on the reader. Pathos is very prominent in this story now that I think more about it,in fact the story is an appeal to pathos. Great jo
Kraus,
DeleteNice job on your blog this week. You did a really great job discussing the situational irony in the story. I also mentioned how ironic their gift exchange was. I agree that the story would have made absolutely no sense without the irony in it. I would be pretty upset if that irony was not present. I think O. Henry tells a beautiful story here. Good job!
I love this story. I have read it and heard it once before, our priest once read it for his homily on Christmas Eve. It is a beautiful story to read and listen too, especially during the Christmas season. It is both a heart warming story but also heart wrenching. Which is due to the irony present in this story.
ReplyDeleteThe most prominent form of irony that sticks out in my mind is situational. Which is when the audience and the characters have no idea what is occurring. The husband and the wife each had no idea what the other was getting them for Christmas, which is natural because most presents are suppose to be surprises. However, what makes this situation ironic is that each sold their most prized possessions to receive a gift for their spouse. But the gifts that they exchanged were side gifts off of their prized possessions, which they sold to receive gift.
This then makes the situation ironic because the wife receives combs but cut off all her hair for a chain, but the husband sold his watch to buy the combs. This irony is essential to this story because without the whole meaning would be lost. The story portrays that relationships and family will always be more important than gifts.
The gifts aren't necessarily important in the case of this story, they are just used as tools for the author, because of the ironic gift exchange the reader is left with mixed feelings concerning the story. The reader feels sad because they both received excellent gifts but they can't use them because of what they had to do in order to get them. The reader is also happy because it is an uplifting tale of the true meaning of Christmas. The couple was so selfless towards each other that it causes the reader to have contradicting feelings.
The narrator is extremely effective in portraying the true meaning of the story to the readers. The narrator come right out and says what should be taken away from the story. This is the author's voice in the story, that connects starlight with the reader instead of using a character to describe the meaning. It is very effective and leaves the reader with the correct outlook on the story itself.
Michaela,
DeleteI think that you did a very nice job analyzing this story. It is one of those ones that you love but it still makes you sad. Your analysis of the irony for this piece was spot on. It is most definitely situational. Those poor people! I also liked your discussion of the point of view and the narrator. I also mentioned how the point of view did a really nice job in shaping the story. Great job!
Michaela Cashmer,
DeleteI totally agree with you that situational irony is the most prominent form of irony found in the short story. It truly does contribute to the meaning behind the story. Without this type of irony, the ending would not nearly be as surprising. The only thing I have to say is that I'm not sure if I agree with you that the gifts did not play an important role in the story. I think they certainly do. Other than that, great blog! I totally agree with you! Happy New Year, girl!
The Gift of the Magi. That story was actually pretty adorable.
ReplyDeleteSo I guess I will start by talking about the situational irony that is in this story. I did not expect that the story was going to end like that at all. It was definitely a surprising ending to a Christmas tale. O. Henry does not give any indication as to what will happen at the conclusion of the story. He sets the stage as if the husband, Jim, will be upset with Della. That seems as if it is the reaction that will make perfect sense because she did the unthinkable. She sold her hair. When he comes home, however, we learn that he actually sold the watch to be able to buy Della her Christmas present.
There is also irony in the fact that he bought Della the hair combs only to find out that her hair was short because she had sold it for him. Then add to the irony of that by saying that she bought Jim the most perfect chain for his watch when he actually sold off the watch to buy Della the perfect gift.
Another important device that is used in this story is the point of view. The third person limited point of view in this story gives the reader just enough information to set the stage for the dramatic irony. It also gives the reader a sense of what Della is like. You see just how much she is willing to give up for the one she loves. Which is also an appeal to pathos. The narrator does a good job of depicting what the characters are feeling in regards to how the characters feel overall, especially towards each other. The narrator does not appear to be all knowing, which makes it possible for the inevitable plot twist.
As I said briefly in the paragraph huge appeal to pathos. It is insane how many emotions are attached to this story. The emotions are also beautifully done. It tugs the heart strings a bit. It makes readers want to laugh and cry all at the same time.
We will end the blog with me saying that I loved the story. I feel bad for the two lovebirds, but I am also so happy for them. At the end of the day the gifts weren't important. What was really important is that they will always have each other. Love was their Christmas gift.
Megan,
DeleteI liked how you said that the narrators point of view led the story plot to reveal a case of dramatic irony. I saw that in Danielle's blog and in yours too. It was a really good point. I saw your reasoning with the irony and all, and I have to agree with you. I did see those types of irony in the story. Good job!
Megan,
DeleteNice blog. I think we all hit the points about irony pretty well because this story has been a model for displaying situational irony for quite sometime. However, I did find your comments on the narrator very interesting. I, too, chose the narrator to discuss but for entirely different reasons. I discussed his intimacy with the audience where you talked about his knowledge and how it contributed to the tale. It is true, a narrator with too much knowledge would have made presenting such irony at the end impossible.
Nice blog!
Oh! What would Christmas time be without reading "The Gift of the Magi"? And what would AP English Lit be without analyzing the short story? Haha!
ReplyDeleteClearly, the type of irony utilized by the brilliant author, O. Henry, is situational irony. Obviously no one (the characters and the readers) has a stinking clue as to how the story is going to end until it actually occurs. It is purely ironic that Della chopped off all her hair to buy Jim a chain for his watch for Christmas, and that Jim sold his gold watch to buy combs for Della's hair for Christmas. No one saw that one coming! Nice one, Henry! He strategically incorporates situational irony into his story in order to teach a very valuable lesson in his Christmas tale.
Henry's message is clearly that material possessions do not truly matter in the grand scheme of life, including Christmas. It is love, God, family, and friends that possess true value. Through his use of situational irony, Henry clearly demonstrates this because it obviously meant more to the husband and wife to give a gift to the other in order to make him or her happy, and they both were willing to sacrifice a close possession to them in order to purchase a new material for the other. That is love. The gifts in the end did not matter, obviously, because they were unable to properly utilize them. But they did not care. They had each other. And that is all that truly matters in the end.
The other literary device I discovered on the story is color symbolism. I could not help but notice the frequent and strategic utilization of color throughout the tale. Toward the beginning, Della looks out the window and describes a cat, fence, and her backyard as being "gray". This represents her poverty and her pessimistic outlook. Her coat, hat, and hair are colored "brown" which also highlights her poverty, and her simple possessions. The material possessions in the story have brighter and more appealing colors. The watch is "gold", the chain is "platinum", and the combs are "turquoise". All of these colors seem to represent wealth and brightness. But, as we learned from the story, wealth in worldly riches does not gain us happiness. Loving one another and God is ultimately what brings us great joy.
Happy New Year, everyone! See ya'll Thursday!
Rachel,
DeleteLovely blog as usual. You illustrated your points well in situation irony. However, I really liked the discussion on you second literary device. I love me some color symbolism and you are so right about your mentioning of it. Everything in their life was gray and dull except for those two bright spots in the story: the combs and the chain. It was a very good observation. Nice job!