The Gift of the Magi written by William Sydney Porter - Essay Example

The story The Gift of the Magi written by William Sydney Porter begins with Della Dullingham remaining with 87 atthe eve of Christmas. Della loved his husband, Jim and wanted to buy him an ultimate gift despite their poverty. In relation, Jim also wishes to surprise his wife with a gift for Christmas (Joe & Henry 11). Both had to make sacrifices in order to come up with the ultimate gift for each other. In as much as they were poor, each one of them wished to give the other lover a gift that would make them happy. Della cut her hair which both couples cherished to go and buy a platinum chain for Jim’s golden watch. On the other hand, Jim sold the golden watch he valued most to buy Della a gift he thought she desired most (Henry 5). After their hard thought sacrifices in an attempt to make each other happy, at the end, they both realize that the gifts did not fit for the occasion and decided to put aside their disappointments and continue with life happily. In Journal entry, a romantic poem written by Dorothy Wordsworth remains to be a romantic poem. Dorothy and William Wordsworth were sisters and brothers and cherished to their company. After their parents died, they had earlier been separated, but found each other some years later. In the Journal entry, this four stanza poem becomes portrayed in a creative manner. The poem became based on the reaction of the two, the praise and love for a field that blossomed with daffodils. In relation to the plot of the story, William made it clear from the start. Della had limited funds to buy his husband a gift. Della and Jim were poor couple, though in love with each other and eager to make each other happy despite the hardships they underwent (Henry 8). Sacrificing the two most valuable things: Della’s pretty long hair and Jim’s golden watch, the couples eventually discover that the gifts they bought for each other did not fit for the situation. In Journal entry, Dorothy Wordsworth wrote it on a stormy day while walking with her sister Dorothy around Ullswater Lake, in England. From the poem, the two imagined the daffodils as dancing and invoking them to join them. The story by William majorly takes place in the city of New York. In the story, the author mentions the couple to have been living in a city where they could see Broadway. In addition, story gets set on the Christmas Eve and Christmas, a time when gifts become commonly exchanged to bring joy to people. In the poem Journal entry, the setting is in England in a spring season in a field of Daffodils around Ullswater Lake (Dorothy 34). Dorothy and William share some quality time appreciating the beauty of nature and expressing it in the most romantic way. The characters in the story by William were Jim and Della. These two were lovers living in an apartment in New York. Della is a housewife. Jim worked hard to ensure they had something to survive though was barely. Even in their poverty, love ensured that they stayed happy. Both Jim and Della wish the best for each other (Joe & Henry 11). The love for each other surpassed all odds to the extent of them sacrificing what they loved most to buy an ultimate gift for each other that turned out to be disappointments. The characters in the poem Journal majorly remain to be Dorothy herself and his brother William Dorothy. Both of them had gone to England when they came across a field of daffodils (Dorothy 34). The two characters are brothers and sisters and cherish the love they have for each other. The two become so connected and pour their emotions out as they describe the marvelous works of nature. In the story written by William, there are two main conflicts. The first conflict seems to be external. The couple as described by the author as extremely poor and barely made ends meets. Even though they were poor, they still loved each other and wanted the best for one another. Jim works hard and for long hours though his pay is still small. In addition, Della remains home as a mistress. In the beginning of the story, Della gets described as remaining with $ 1.87 at Christmas Eve (Joe & Henry 10). The second crucial conflict in the story emanates from them wanting to make each other happy and going to the extent of sacrificing what each one of them valued to get an ultimate gift. This according to the story could be considered an internal conflict. In relation to Journal entry by Dorothy, the poem uses a lot of imagery in order to bring the readers to enjoy the sight they were viewing (Dorothy 34). Imagery can be depicted by the skies, the lake and the field of daffodils. The imagery served the purpose of trying to make the readers experience and feel like they did when they saw the beautiful field of daffodils. In the story, William used various symbols to represent certain aspects in the couple’s lives. The two main symbols used in the story remain as Jim’s watch and Della’s hair. Jim loved Della’s hair and his watch (Joe & Henry 14). The symbols majorly represented sacrifices the two had to make to buy the ultimate gifts for each other. In addition, the gifts given during Christmas majorly symbolized how wise they were and more so had a relation to the story of the wise men in the Bible. The poem Journal entry uses the term daffodils to symbolize spring. In spring, it is often a time for plants to grow and sprout (Dorothy 34). Daffodils could have symbolized the growing love between the two of them. In addition, in the poem, the poet uses the sky to symbolize the two of them viewing the field of daffodils. The point of view according to the story seems to be originating from a third person. The author most likely seemed to be the invisible person reporting the thoughts of the given characters. In Journal entry, the point of view is from first person (Dorothy 34). Dorothy describes the field of daffodils as if it became connected to her. In addition, Dorothy in the poem mentions the sky as the viewer of the field of daffodils whereas it was her. The theme of the story remains to be love. Della and Jeff love each other irrespective of the conditions they were. Della ensures that her poverty does not impede her from buying the ultimate gift for her husband (Joe & Henry 12). Jeff on the other hand ensures she also buys a gift for her wife though he earns little. In the poem by Dorothy, the main theme remains as human emotions towards nature. The poem describes the field of Daffodils in the most romantic manner. Both Dorothy and William felt connected with nature at this point and loved that feeling. The romantic nature of describing the Daffodils field majorly came from the love they had and shared between each other. The daffodils mostly imply a new beginning for human beings (Dorothy 34). Spring is always a happy moment for man and she was sharing the beauty of nature with others. In conclusion, one can realize that both stories had some element of romance and love in them. In the story written by William, Jeff and Della loved each other and beat all odds to make sure each had a gift for each other they were poor (Joe & Henry 12). In the poem Journal entry, Dorothy expresses her love for nature by speaking about it in the most romantic and touching manner. In addition, both characters once lived a poor life and still found love among them despite the hardships they encountered (Dorothy 34). Both the poem and the story are inspirational stories on how love can be expressed. Works Cited Henry, O. Gift of the Magi. Washington: Dramatic Publishing, 1963. Print. Joel P., and Henry, O. The Gift of the Magi. New York: HarperCollins, 2009. Print. Wordsworth, Dorothy. Journals of Dorothy Wordsworth. London: Macmillan, 1959. Print. Read More