Wednesday December 2, 2015 SSR time You need your folders.

(William Sydney Porter) William Sydney Porter’s connection to Ohio is unlike any other Ohioana author. He was neither born, nor educated in the Buckeye State; the writer was a Southerner, born and bred. But from 1898 to 1901, Porter completed some of his best work while living in Columbus – behind bars at the federal penitentiary. Sentenced to serve five years for embezzlement, Porter used the time to write short stories under the pseudonym, O. Henry. Deeply shamed by his prison record, the ex-convict legally changed his name to O. Henry to shield his past. Though he died at age 39 – just nine years after his release from prison – O. Henry lived to become one of the finest storytellers in American literature. In the era that preceded movies and television, short stories like those by O. Henry entertained the masses. He had a unique style of mixing dry wit with ironic twists or surprise endings. All told, the prolific writer published ten collections of short stories. He reached thousands more by contributing to the popular magazines of the day. Though he felt degraded by his past, O. Henry’s best fiction was inspired by his early experiences as a poor and sickly orphan, a fugitive in Latin America, and as a prison inmate. Long after his death, O. Henry is remembered for his humorous depictions of both ordinary and extraordinary situations.

“The Gift of the Magi” It is a narrative. What does that mean? It contains irony. You will have to figure out which one! 3 Types of Irony: 1)Verbal irony 2) Situation irony 3) Dramatic irony

Verbal Irony The use of words to mean something different from what a person actually says. EXAMPLES: “Thanks for the ticket officer you just made my day!” “I can’t wait to read the seven hundred page report.”

Situational irony Situation irony occurs when the exact opposite of what is meant to happen, happens. EXAMPLE: When someone buys a gun to protect himself, but the same gun is used by another individual to injure him. One would expect that the gun would keep him safe, but it has actually caused him injury.

Dramatic Irony Usually in movies, books, poems, or plays. It occurs when the audience is aware of something that the characters in the story are not aware of. EXAMPLE: In a movie where a detective does not know that the criminal responsible for the crimes in the city is his partner. The audience however is already aware of this fact and waits anxiously to know what will happen once the character finds out what they already know.

Can you find the context clues for the vocabulary words? Work with a partner to find the words assigned to you. Write the quote in the space provided.

Listen to the story and we will stop and discuss…

“The Gift of the Magi” 1)Why do you think the author draws attention to money in this first paragraph? 2)What affect does the alliteration have on the narrative? 3)What color is repeated in this paragraph? Why do you think the author did this? 4)What mood is portrayed in this scene? How does this contrast with this particular time of year?

“The Gift of the Magi” How does the author describe Della? How does the author describe Jim? Explain the metaphors the author uses for Della and Jim. What type of irony is MOST prevalent in this story (verbal, situational, dramatic)? Contrast the outer poverty of the scene with the inner richness of the couple. Why do you think the author chose “the greatest treasures of their house?” Who are the magi? Why do you think the author chose to include this and title the story “The Gift of the Magi”?

Tableau A group of models or motionless figures representing a scene from a story.

Tableau You may choose one scene and decide within your group who is doing what for your tableau. 1)The scene at “Mne. Sofroinie. Hair Goods of All Kinds.” (par ) 2)Della ransacking stores and finds a watch. (par. 19) 3)Della waiting on Jim (par. 24). 4)Jim walking inside and seeing Della for the first time (par. 26). 5)Della opening the present (par ) 6)Della giving Jim his present (par.41-43)

Let’s create a story board with theme!! A storyboard is a graphic organizer in the form of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. There can really be 2 themes in this story. What do you think they are? 1)Love 2)Sacrifice