Discussion of the Story

Members:

Harold Bernal - Discussion Leader

Judy Ann Valle - Summarizer

Hazel Chin Quijada - Vocabulary Enricher

Catherine Nina Hope Labanon - Connector

Mary Mykneel Gubalane- Passage Picker

Maria Luz Tacmoy & Ariel Mangco - The illustrators

Discussion of the Story 

 

                The Gift of Magi is one of the examples that we may apply in our daily lives, because it tells us that the two couple who was loyal and wise to each other. Especially, on Christmas day by exchanging gift and the presence of our love ones.

 

Here are some of our discussions:

 

·         Why Della wants to sell her most prize possession?

 

“One of the reason why Della sell her beautiful hair, it’s because she wants to buy a gift for Jim which is the platinum chain for Jim’s watch. As a girl, giving such  gift to someone is big deal for me, even though I have to sacrifice my most prize possession, but only because this is the only way that I could show to him, how much I appreciate his care, loyalty, kindness, understanding, patient and love for me.”

 

Hazel Chin Quijada

Vocabulary Enricher

·         Why is it important for them to buy a Christmas present despite on their poverty?

 

“Literally for us, it’s traditionally to exchange gift whether rich or poor. But we know, a material thing doesn’t count the true value of giving than the presence of our love ones on Christmas time.”

Maria Luz Tacmoy

The illustrator

·         Is there anything else we could expound the meaning of Christmas?

 

“For me, like Della and Jim as they illustrated the importance of Christmas, I could say that the meaning of Christmas is cannot measure the loved that Jesus Christ gave to all mankind since His birth and sacrificed.”

Harold Bernal

Discussion Leader

·         If you put yourself in Della’s situation, are you willing to give up your most prize possession?

 

“If I were in Della’s situation, of course it is really hard to decide if I could do such things to give up my most prize possession, but the example of  what Della’s and Jim done it really shows how to give, love, share and so forth.”

Catherine Nina Hope Labanon

                                                                                                               Connector

·         

             The author said, “These two couple are the wisest” why?

 

“Because they were simple couple who loved each other without any exchange of something and by giving up their most prize possession without any hesitation. Like the Magi, they know the material things will not last forever.”

Mary Mykneel Gubalane

Passage Picker

"Thank you for the wonderful discussion and ideas that you shared. Hope everyone learn something from the story."

Harold Bernal

Discussion Leader 

Summary of the Story

 

Mrs. James Dillingham Young was in a quandary. It was the day before Christmas, and she had only $1.87. This was not enough to buy a Christmas present for her beloved husband, even though prices were much lower at the dawn of the twentieth century than they are now.

Della and her husband were experiencing hard times. Jim's salary used to be thirty dollars a week, but it had been reduced to twenty. Though she had diligently saved every penny she could, the money she saved fell far short of what she needed.

She probably realized that her husband would love her whether or not she was able to buy him a present, but love wants to express itself, and her inability to offer a pledge of love on Christmas made her desperate.
Della had beautiful hair. When fully extended, it reached below her knees. She was very proud of it, and considered it her most precious treasure. Nevertheless, in her desperation, she sold it for twenty dollars.

She then searched diligently for an appropriate present for Jim. She knew that Jim had a fine watch which he prized above all his other possessions. So she decided to buy a platinum fob chain to attach to his watch. She exercised good judgment when choosing the chain. It was not disfigured by meretricious ornamentation. It was an elegant chain with a chaste design.

When she returned home, she began to realize that she had done something foolish. She was afraid of how Jim would react when he saw her sadly altered appearance. With little success, she tried to repair the damage. She offered a little prayer to the Lord, saying: "Please, God, make him think that I am still pretty!"
When Jim came home, his reaction was not what Della had anticipated. Instead of expressing anger or sorrow, he stared at her fixedly with a peculiar expression on his face.

Della offered a torrent of apologetic words in attempt to cheer up her husband. She reminded him that it was Christmas Eve, and explained that she had to sell her hair in order to buy him a nice Christmas present. She assured him that her hair grew quickly and would soon be as good as new. She told Jim that the hairs of her head were numbered, but no one could count her love for her husband. Then, hoping to divert his mind, she asked him if she should put on some chops.

Jim was stunned, and some time elapsed before he recovered. He assured her that he loved her; and when she opened the Christmas present that he had bought for her, she fully understood why Jim had reacted as he did. Jim had bought a beautiful set of combs for her hair - a set that she had always wanted. She was delighted at first; but when she realized that she was unable to use them, she began to wail hysterically. Jim had to comfort her.

After Della had recovered, she remembered the present that she had bought and eagerly showed it to Jim. When Jim saw the watch chain, he sat down on the couch and smiled. He explained to Della that he had sold the watch in order to buy the combs.

Though the actions of Della and Jim were apparently foolish, O. Henry compares them to the magi, the wise men who gave wonderful gifts to Jesus. They were as wise as the magi because they considered their spouse more important than their most precious earthly possession.
Since I dearly love my own wife's beautiful hair, this story makes me shudder a little. However, it is justly considered a classic, and effectively illustrates the spirit of Christmas. 
 

Judy Anne Valle

The Summarizer

 

Vocabulary Enrichment

          As I read, “The Gift Of Magi” I found out the highfalutin word that are difficult to understand. In order for me to understand more clearly and expound every word that occurred in the story, I listed every word so that it becomes more simply and easy to understand.

 

1.       Instigate

Provoke or stir up

NOTES:                   

Which instigate the moral reflection that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating.

EXAMPLE:

When you instigate something, you start it, but the word carries conflict with it. If you are suspended for wearing a political t-shirt, the incident might instigate days of protest by students and faculty.

2.       Inconsequential

Lacking worth or importance

NOTES:

For ten seconds let us regard with discreet scrutiny some inconsequential object in the other direction.

EXAMPLE:

If something is considered of little worth or importance, it is inconsequential. If astronomers forecast a tremendous meteor shower, it might turn out to be no more than space junk, too inconsequential to record.

3.       Cascade

a small waterfall or series of small waterfalls

NOTES:

So now Della’s beautiful hair fell about her, rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters.

EXAMPLE:

Think of a cascade as something suddenly falling, tumbling down in a rush.

4.       Parsimony

Extreme stinginess

NOTES:

Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.

EXAMPLE:

The rank parsimony of insisting on Santa’s whiteness with such vehemence is an ironic way to defend the idea of selfless giving.

5.       Predominate

be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance

NOTES:

Which instigate the moral reflection that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating.

EXAMPLE:

Of all the social networks, one predominates. Facebook is by far the biggest and most influential. When someone or something predominates, it’s the largest or most powerful of all.

6.       necessitate

Require as useful, just, or proper

NOTES:

And then an ecstatic scream of joy; and then, alas! a quick feminine change to hysterical tears and wails, necessitating the immediate employment of all the comforting powers of the lord of the flat.

EXAMPLE:

a sweet tooth can necessitate a trip to the store for a triple-scoop ice cream – which will necessitate a  trip to the gym.

7.       illuminate

Make lighter or brighter

NOTES:

This dark assertion will be illuminated later on.

EXAMPLE:          
To illuminate is to light up – with physical light or with an idea. A spotlight might illuminate an actor on stage, and a good Chemistry teacher might illuminates students with a lesson on the atomic structure of hydrogen.

8.       subside

sink to a lower level or form a depression

NOTES:
While the mistress of the home is gradually subsiding from the first stage to the second, take a look at the home.

EXAMPLE:
To subside is to die down or become less violent, like rough ocean waves after a storm has passed (or your seasickness, if you happened to be sailing on that ocean).

9.       agile

moving quickly and lightly

NOTES:

A very thin very agile person may, by observing his reflection in a rapid sequence of longitudinal strips, obtain a fairly accurate conception of his looks.

EXAMPLE:

On water skis she was agile and made sharp turns and long arcs cutting through the water, but she was a lot less agile on the snowboard, landing on her face and hands as she clunked down the slopes.

10.   mammoth

any of numerous extinct elephants widely distributed in the Pleistocene; extremely large with hairy coats and long up curved tusks.

NOTES:

Which is always a tremendous task, dear friends – a mammoth task.

EXAMPLE:

The House has approved a mammoth bill providing $1.1 trillion federal agencies this year.

Hazel Chin Quijada

Vocabulary Enricher

Connector

            In reality, if we are in a relationship we learn to love each other so much that we are willing to give up something very precious just to see them happy. Even sacrificing the most valuable thing in our life and to prove that love is the ultimate and most priceless gift that you can give.

 

LINE FROM THE STORY:            

“Jim, darling, “she cried, “don’t look at me that way. I had my hair cut off and sold because I couldn’t have lived through Christmas without giving you a present.”

“Dell, “she he, “let’s put our Christmas presents away and keep ’em a while. They’re too nice to use just at present. I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs. And now suppose you put the chops on.”

Catherine Nina Hope Labanon

Connector

 

Important Passages

         These important passages will tell us of how we could evaluate the character of the two couple in the story. Also understanding their life in which could help us to see the whole picture within the story entitled the Gift of Magi.

 

“One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. . . And the next day would be Christmas.”

  •  This tells the reader that Della is very poor, but also introduces the problem: How will Della get Jim a Christmas gift?

“Suddenly she whirled from the window and stood before the glass. Her eyes were shining brilliantly, but her face had lost its color within twenty seconds.”

  • This gives readers an insight on Della’s character: even though she is in a very poor financial situation, she still remains positive.

“ ‘Jim darling,’ she cried, ‘don’t look at me that way. I had my hair cut off and sold it because I couldn’t have lived through Christmas without giving you a present. It’ll grow out again-you won’t mind, will you?

  •  This quote describes Della’s love towards Jim. Even after she sacrificed her hair to buy Jim a gift, she is still concerned about his feelings about her new hair (she asks him if he minds her short hair, and reassures him it will grow back out fast).

  

“For there lay The Combs- the set of combs, side and back, that Della had worshipped for long in a Broadway window.”

  • Readers now know why Jim reacted the way he did when he saw Della’s hair. At this point, she starts to feel horrible for not having her long hair to use the combs in. However, she again says that her hair grows out fast (keeping a positive attitude during a crisis).

“let’s put our Christmas presents away and keep ‘em a while. They’re too nice to use just at present. I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs.”

  • Ironically, Jim can’t use Della’s gift, either (he sold his pocket watch to buy Della’s combs, so the chain does him no good).

 

“In the vestibule below was a letter-box into which no letter would go, and an electric button from which no mortal finger could coax a ring. Also appertaining thereunto was a card bearing the name “Mr. James Dillingham Young.” The “Dillingham” had been flung to the breeze during a former period of prosperity when its possessor was being paid $30 per week. Now, when the income was shrunk to $20, the letters of “Dillingham” looked blurred, as though they were thinking seriously of contracting to a modest and unassuming D.”

  • This description shows how unattractive the house is becoming. No one wants to even approach the doorbell. It also gives readers a feeling that Della and Jim are too poor to fix the sign and make their house more inviting.

 
“So now Della’s beautiful hair fell about her rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters. It reached below her knee and made itself almost a garment for her.”

  • This description does not just tell readers what Della’s hair looked like. It also conveys Della’s feelings toward her hair. She prizes her hair and knows how beautiful it is. In this section of the story, Della begins to cry while looking at her hair. This g convinces readers that something is about to happen to Della’s hair, such as her sacrificing it (which is the most probable prediction).

 Mary Mykneel Gubalane

Passage Picker

 

 This image portray that Della and Jim sacrificed greatly to obtain the gifts they did. But, in the end it wasn't the gift that mattered as much as their presence in each other's lives, and the fact that they were willing to do so much to show their love for each other. 

Maria Luz Tacmoy &

Ariel Mangco

The illustrators