Answers to Reading Comprehension "the Gift of Magi" English 9

Maret 05, 2022 Posting Komentar

O. Henry's The Gift of the Magi Questions and Answers

The Souvenir of the Magi Questions and Answers

Who are the Magi?

Magi is the plural form of magus means wise men. Co-ordinate to the Bible magi (Gasper, Malchoir and Balthaza) were members of priest-hood of ancient Persia. These wise men of the East came to know the nascence of Christ from certain signs in the sky and guided past the stars they came to Bethlehem where the infant Jesus lay in manger with the gifts-gold, frankincense and myrrh. They introduced the custom of the exchange of Christmas gift.

What co-ordinate to the author was non in that location among the gifts of the Magi?

O' Henry opined that in that location was no mutual love and spirit of sacrifice amidst the gifts of the Magi.

What divergence do you find among the gifts of Magi and that of Jim and Della?

Love and Sacrifice prompted Jim and Della to sell the greatest possessions of their life. They could not be exchanged for any amount of money. Only the gift of Magi could be regarded equally duplicate i in comparison with Jim and Della for the Magi collected their gifts simply against money.

Explain the irony in the title of the story, 'The Souvenir of the Magi.'

The story "The souvenir of the Magi" allusively unfolds an undercurrent relationship between the Magi and that of Jim and Della. The iii wise men of the east brought the richest presents to Christ. Like them, Jim and Della gave gift to each other on the Christmas Twenty-four hour period. The Magi were wonderfully wise men simply Jim and Della were no less wise than them. For the sake of dear they sacrificed their the nigh precious possessions of each.

Why are Jim and Della called the wised-among men? Jim and Della

Sacrificed their most precious possessions for the sake of love. They unfolded the dead custom introduced by the three wise men to a nobler plane. They are the wisest in the true sense and the magi for they fabricated supreme cede for their love. And then, they are 'The wisest Magi'.

What is the central theme of the story?

Dear is the central theme of the story, The Gift of the Magi. O' Henry sets up a contrasted flick in life- love among the ruins- the astute poverty in the family and the sacrifice of the greatest possessions of the family. It is love that helped Jim and Della, the hero and heroine to conquer poverty they were in.

What is your impression about the unusual beginning of the story? O' Henry's

story begins with the phrase, 'one dollar and lxxx seven cents'. The writer'south purpose is to create a dramatic effect on the reader and arouse a sense of curiosity of the readers next.

How did Della salvage the coin to buy Christmas gift?

Della saved her money living in a miserly, manner, by bargaining with the grocer the vegetable men and the butcher until her cheeks burnt with the silent imputation of parsimony'. In this way she saved but ane dollar and eighty seven cents.

Why did Della cry later counting the coin she had saved?

Della cried considering she had merely i dollar and eighty seven cents and with this small amount she could non buy a good present for her dear married man.

Why did Della count her savings thrice?

Della counted her savings thrice to make sure of the sum for most of her savings were in pennies and with the simulated hope if the coin turned out to be a piffling more than what it was.

What impression did O' Henry reflect on human life after seeing Della cry in sorrow?

Della counted her saving thrice. Information technology was only i dollar and lxxx seven cents. She worried that she could not buy a good present for her dear husband. And then, she made her flop down on the shabby couch and cry. This particular reaction of Della fabricated O' Henry reflect that life is made up with sobs, sniffles and smiles but sniffles pre-dominated life.

"Which is all very practiced. "-Explain.

O' Henry reflects this quoted remark on Della'southward loving behaviour after Jim, her dear husband, returns home. Della, then calls him lovingly and calls him 'Jim' and hugs him. Their sincere conjugal love in utter poverty is praiseworthy. Moreover, their sincere love prompts them to sacrifice their proud possessions of their life.

Give an idea of the economical conditions of the Dillinghams?

The Dillinghams lived a poor life. Their income shrank from 30 to twenty dollars per calendar week, they had to pay eight dollars for their flat. The picture of prosperity get blurred with the decrease of income. The letter box was damaged. The electrical bell was out of social club. At that place was a cheap pier drinking glass between the windows. The couch was shabby and the carpet was worn. Everything became worn and shabby.

What is a pier drinking glass? How would Della see herself in it?

A pier glass is a long and narrow glass. One cannot hands take her full paradigm in it for this. Merely Della, being slender, had mastered the fine art of seeing herself in it. He would stand earlier the pier glass and 'in a rapid sequence of longitudinal strips obtain a fairly accurate conception of her looks.

"Of a sudden she whirled from the window and stood before the drinking glass."-Why did Della stand before the pier drinking glass on that Christmas Day?

On Christmas 24-hour interval Della stood before the pier glass to have a wait on her long, beautiful cascade like hair. As she allow it autumn, information technology looked a pour of brown waters.

What are the 2 possessions of Dillinghams? How did they regard them?

James Dillinghams had a gilt lookout man inherited from his granddad and father. Della had the brown rippling pilus. Della'southward hair reached below her knee and fabricated itself almost a garment for her when she let it fall. Both were proud of their possessions.

Della regarded her beautiful hair as more than precious than all the jewels of queen of Sheba of the Bible. Had the queen been her neighbor, she would have proudly shown it to her on some pretext. Jim supposed his watch to be more than valuable than all the treasures of Rex Solomon who reigned in Jerusalem.

"Della looks at the greyness car."-What does the word "grey" signify.

The word 'grey' has been used thrice in a judgement every bit a symbol of frustration in Della's listen. 'Gray' is a colour which symbolizes hopeless and frustration. Through the use of 'gray' Della's extreme despair on the external world has been broadly revealed.

How has O' Henry described the excitement in Della afterward she decides to sell her hair?

Like a votary of fine art, O' Henry sketches and unfolds the tempest that runs in Della's mind with the subtle utilise of words. Instead of "put on', he uses 'on went in the judgement 'on went her quondam brown jacket, on went her old brown hat'. Moreover, Della's excitement is displayed with the discussion 'fluttered' and 'one flying up.

Was Jim proud of his golden spotter?

Jim'southward aureate spotter had the touch of inheritance. It was his father's and grandfather'southward. The writer compared it with the wealth of King Solomon. If the king Solomon set every bit the doorkeeper with all his wealth stored in the basement Jim would proudly prove him his spotter every fourth dimension he passed by only to make him feel envious of him.

"Mme Sofronie-hair appurtenances of all kinds."– Requite a graphic symbol sketch of Mme Sofronie.

M'me Sofronie is the owner of a shop dealing in hair adept of all kinds. Sofronie means beautiful but Mme Sofronie was a large, white and chilly woman. She does non take the warmth and loveliness which the name Sofronie implies.

"Down ripple the dark-brown cascade."-Explain.

This phrase refers to Della's hair which is long, brown and curly. Continuing earlier the pier glass, Della permit it fall and as information technology fell, information technology reached to her human knee and looked like a garment to her. As it was curly it looked like ripples on a stretch of h2o. Equally Della's pilus was golden and savage vertically down her dorsum, information technology looked like a brown cascade.

"Forget the hashed metaphor."-Explain.

Hashed metaphor means mixed metaphor. "Tripped by on rosy wings" is the mixed metaphor. Hours were every bit beautiful every bit rose and hours were as quick as birds flying on wings. These two metaphors have been mixed in phrase rosy wings which refers to Della'south behaviour on receiving xx dollars by selling her pilus and her mad search from store to shop to select a nice gift for her beloved husband. Hashed or mixed metaphor is a defect in linguistic communication and it should non be used in Della's case and should be avoided. So the writer asks the reader to forget the hashed metaphor.

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Some Important Brusque Notes from Herbert's The Pulley

"Quietness and Value".-The description applied to both."-Explain.

This remarkable phrase refers to both Jim and the platinum fob concatenation. It is appropriate to Jim for Jim lead a life of simplicity with full of pure dear in his heart. His selfless dear made him wise. In this sense he was a valuable human being. In the same vein, the platinum play a joke on chain was very simple in blueprint and not meretricious ornament 1. Information technology was valuable for information technology was made of costly metal.

"Which is always a tremendous job."-Explain.

'Generosity added to dearest' is the tremendous or mammoth task refers to here. Della sacrificed her hair out of love and generosity. Her sincere dear persuaded her to make enormous sacrifice that could non be repaired. This job is rare and there are few people who can practice such sacrifice.

Why did Jim comport like a setter of the scent of a quail when he entered the room?

On Christmas day Jim sold his golden watch and bought a set of combs for his love wife, Della. On inbound the room he found that his gift was useless for Della had no hair to use the set of combs. This peculiar unthinkable situations fabricated him benumbed that he could neither move nor talk. He simply stood motionless and however like a gun dog when information technology smells a quail.

"Out of her trance…….."-Explicate.

"Trance' means mazed status- a condition of going out of oneself. Jim was in trance considering he saw Della with her hair cut. He brought costly combs for her hair and found that they were of no utilize.

He came out of her trance when Della told him that she sold her hair for buying a Christmas present for him. Her hairs might be numbered merely her love for him was immeasurable.

"A mathematician or a wit would requite you wrong answer."- What is the question and what could be the answer past a mathematician or a wit? Why would the answer be incorrect?

The question to which a mathematician or wit would give the wrong reply is: what is the deviation betwixt eight dollars a week or a one thousand thousand a twelvemonth? They would requite the wrong answer because they approximate things from practical indicate of view and in terms of money.

True love does not make whatever divergence between viii dollars a week and a 1000000 a year. Jim and Della were in love. They hug each other in warm passion. For a time they forget their poverty, their poorly furnished apartment of 8 dollars per week. They experienced the rapture of love. Their flat was plush for them because there was love.

"They are as well overnice to use al nowadays."-Explicate.

'They' refers to the platinum play tricks chain and a set of combs, the Christmas gifts bought by Della for Jim's gold lookout and by Jim for Della'south brown rippling hair. Their Christmas gifts were useless because Jim did not have the watch to utilise the platinum fob chain and too Della did not have the hair to employ set of Jewel-rimmed combs.

How did Della try to soothe Jim who had been upset by the loss of her
hair?

Della tried utmost to soothe Jim past saying that her hair grew then fast and that she was the same Della without her hair and at last, that she could non have lived through Christmas without giving him a souvenir.

What is the chronicle of Jim and Della?

James Dillingham and his married woman lived in a poorly furnished flat in New York. Their income was 20 dollars per week. Their economic condition was becoming worse. The letter-box was damaged and the proper noun on the carte was blurred. The electric push had gone out of social club. Simply Della's love for her hubby was smashing. Della sold her brown cascade like rippling hair and Jim sold his ancestral golden sentinel. Della bought platinum fob chain for Jim's golden watch and Jim bought a set of combs fabricated of pure tortoise beat out for Della's hair.

Are Jim and Della really Foolish?

Jim and Della chosen foolish because Della sold her precious beautiful hair and Jim sold his gold watch for Christmas presents. They were their only possessions. They were poor then it was foolish of them to sell their precious possessing for such minor things as Christmas gifts. And then, from practical indicate of view they are foolish. Only they made sacrifice for the sake of love. Love fabricated them forget the practical consequences. And so, they were not foolish. They are the magi because like the Magi who made gifts to Jesus, their dearest person, they made gift to their dearest persons merely of love for each other.