Lesson 3 Close Reading: The Gift of the Magi

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 4

Close Reading

Introduction: 

- name - new intern - 1st year Master student - passion for teaching/writing

Inform the students that you will be taking over the close reading lessons. 

I will build on the lessons you have already had on the skill. 

Lesdoel = practice CR and learn new concepts and how to apply them

Analytical tools

The big five models helps you to analyse texts. 

Today we will use the first three lenses to look at the text: audience & purpose, content & theme, and tone & mood.

- Ask students what is meant by content (characters, events, dialogue, action) and theme (overarching topic).

- Ask students what is meant by tone (mood implied by word choice) and mood (feeling conjured)

Ask students what is meant by audience (intended readers) and purpose (goal)

IRF-sequence

Learning goals:

by the end of the lesson (Wednesday) to have a better understanding of the analytic tools and how to use/apply them

It is very useful for Paper one, written tasks and individual oral commentary. This is the lens in which you look at texts and reveal the levels of understanding.

Audience and purpose – who wrote the text, who was it written for, why did the writer write it

Content and Theme – what is the text about

Tone and Mood – what is the writer’s tone how does the text make the reader feel.

Stylistic analysis – what devices does the writer use

Structure – what kind of text is it, what structural conventions are used.

By O. Henry

Short intro to the short story:

- Summary in a few sentences: story about a young married couple who want to get each other a gift but struggle to make ends meet (struggle financially)

- They each sell a cherished item in order to purchase a gift for the other.

- Video: start at 0:32

- Christian/Christmas connotations

- The gift of gift giving

The meaning of magi and the three kings

The magi are the three wise men who followed a miraculous guiding star to Bethlehem, where they paid homage to the baby Jesus

they came with special gifts that all held spiritual meaning; the start of gift-giving

Do you know what is meant with "the gift of gift-giving"? 

- difficult to get a suitable gift

- it requires "talent"

Content (& Theme)

Close Reading Focus
Characterization – The process an author uses to develop and create characters in a story.

• Direct characterization – Information that the author directly reveals about the character.

• Indirect characterization – Information revealed about a character through his/her actions, thoughts,

dialogue, or interaction with other characters. 

Directions – Closely read and annotate the passages from O. Henry’s short story, “The Gift of the Magi.” As you read, look for examples of direct and/or indirect characterization that the author uses to characterize Jim and Della. Explain how the author characterizes that particular character in the quote.

Now focus on exact content by paying attention to characterization.

Read through directions together.

Write down your passage as I want to submit all your answers via Magister. All the passages/answers you write regarding the CR assignment upcoming weeks you will have to submit as you will be graded for it. From the 5 submissions, 4 will count for the final grade. Meaning you can mess up big time once. 

I will put the details on Magister for you. 

Passage 1

"Expenses had been greater than she had calculated. They always are. Only $1.87 to buy a present for Jim. Her Jim. Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him. Something fine and rare and sterling--something just a little bit near to being worthy of the honor of being owned by Jim."

Ask if one of the students want to read the passage out loud (if not, name a student).

Give them time to read it again for themselves. (3-4 minutes)

Question direct characterization? point out example

Question indirect characterization? point out example

"Expenses had been greater than she had calculated. They always are. Only $1.87 to buy a present for Jim. Her Jim. Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him. Something fine and rare and sterling--something just a little bit near to being worthy of the honor of being owned by Jim."

orange = direct

blue = indirect

underlined = suggest a theme: gift giving

Passage 2

"The other was Della’s hair. Had the queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty’s jewels and gifts. Had King Solomon been the janitor, with all his treasures piled up in the basement, Jim would have pulled out his watch every time he passed, just to see him pluck at his beard from envy.

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. And then she did it up again nervously and quickly. Once she faltered for a minute and stood still while a tear or two splashed on the worn red carpet.

On went her old brown jacket; on went her old brown hat. With a whirl of skirts and with the brilliant sparkle still in her eyes, she fluttered out the door and down the stairs to the street."

Write an explanatory paragraph that describes how O. Henry uses indirect characterization to create Della. In your paragraph, be sure to include a topic sentence, quotes, and explanations.

"The other was Della’s hair. Had the queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty’s jewels and gifts. Had King Solomon been the janitor, with all his treasures piled up in the basement, Jim would have pulled out his watch every time he passed, just to see him pluck at his beard from envy.

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. And then she did it up again nervously and quickly. Once she faltered for a minute and stood still while a tear or two splashed on the worn red carpet.

On went her old brown jacket; on went her old brown hat. With a whirl of skirts and with the brilliant sparkle still in her eyes, she fluttered out the door and down the stairs to the street."

- Write an explanatory paragraph that describes how O. Henry uses direct and indirect characterization to create Della. Atleast 2 examples of direct and 2 examples of indirect characterizations of Della. 

In your paragraph, be sure to include a topic sentence, quotes, and explanations.

Passage 2

10 minutes exercise

- Atleast 2 examples of direct and 2  examples of indirect characterizations of Della.

- Name students to share their paragraph. Provide feedback and/or build on it, ask other students what they would add (5 minutes)

- Will have to be submitted via Magister

(Content &) Theme

What is the most prominent theme of "The Gift of the Magi"?

What is the text about?

What message is conveyed?

Theme – In a literary work, is the central topic or message of the text.

• Usually, themes are not explicitly stated.

• The audience has to piece together the clues to discover the theme.

Interaction with the students: ask them to share their thoughts.

Probe them with below-written words.

Themes = 

Love.

But also generosity, selflessness, and poverty.

Tone & Mood

Tone (& Mood)

  "The Gift of the Magi":

...

As you now know what the text is about regarding the characters and action. You can also have a look at the attitude of the author regarding the character and action. 

How would you describe the author's tone? 

The tone of "The Gift of the Magi" is rueful (=expressing sorrow or regret) and affectionate. The outside narrator describes Della and Jim in positive terms.

...

Causal relationship Tone/Mood

- Mood is created by Tone

- Mood is the feeling a reader has

How does this short story make you feel?

Segue to Mood

(Tone &) Mood

How does the text make you feel? ** Do not focus on content **

How does the author use diction to put the reader in a certain mood?

Back to Mood, feelings of the readers/students

Quick look at feelings. They have to keep it in mind for the following close reading exercise.

What is diction?

"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, though, they were thinking seriously of contracting to a modest and unassuming D. But whenever Mr. James Dillingham Young came home and reached his flat above he was called “Jim” and greatly hugged by Mrs. James Dillingham Young, already introduced to you as Della. Which is all very good."

"There was clearly nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl. So Della did it. Which instigates the moral reflection that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating."

Write an explanatory paragraph that identifies and explains O. Henry’s tone in his short story, “The Gift of the Magi.” In your paragraph, analyze how his choice of words creates the story’s tone/mood. Be sure to include a topic sentence, quotations, and explanations in your paragraph.

Passage 3

5-10 minute exercise

(If there is time, discuss their passages: Name students to share their paragraph. Provide feedback and/or build on it, ask other students what they would add (5 minutes)

"unassuming D" =

What this passage means apparently is that when he was being paid $30 per week, a lot in the late 19th century, he had a business card made up that listed him as "James Dillingham Young," which is much more impressive-sounding than just "James D. Young." So the phrase "flung to the breeze" in this instance means that he put the "Dillingham" in in a moment of bravado, like when you fling something into the air in a moment of triumph. But now times are hard and his pay has been cut to $20 and so there is no room for bravado, and a more modest-sounding "James D. Young" would be more appropriate.

Audience & Purpose

Who is the text written for?

What is the purpose? What are the author's intentions? 

 

Audience:

Trigger prior knowledge regarding context and interpretation!

Christians? The poor? Couples? Or anyone?

- Ask the students what they think

Purpose:

to entertain, enlighten, persuade, inform, evaluate, define, instruct or explain?

To show that material possessions are not as important as true love.

Classic function of literature

- Literature imparts moral values to its readers

How to draw a conclusion on the moral value imparted?

Inductive vs Deductive

Related to the purpose of a text/literature is the classic function of lit, namely to impart moral values...

Lesson learned from close reading and using analytic tools

Trigger prior knowledge: Inductive vs Deductive

Deductive reasoning comes to a specific conclusion by drawing on general premises.

Inductive reasoning comes to a general conclusion by drawing specific cases (Sherlock Holmes). 

Lesson learned from "The Gift of the Magi":

Material possessions are not as important as true love.

"The magi, as you know, were wise men--wonderfully wise men--who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in case of duplication. And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi."

Analyze this passage (also the final passage of the whole story) using the various lenses discussed; 

content & theme, tone & mood and audience & purpose

Final Passage

Assignment: 3 to 4 sentences for each lens

(Depending on time; Answers will not be discussed; Will have to be submitted via Magister by 5 o'clock in the evening.)

Analytic tools learned today:

- Content & Themes

- Tone & Mood

- Audience & Purpose

Round up lesson with quick repetition of the definitions. Involve students with recalling all the material. 

- Content & Themes: the characters and action / the overall topic and message conveyed

- Tone & Mood: feelings and ambiance created by diction (use of words and literary devices, e.g. metaphors)

- Audience & Purpose: readers and moral lesson

Inform which texts will be read the following week (students might want to read the whole short story before the class = "The Most Dangerous Game")