A Gift of the Magi
I found this story enjoyable and quite humorous with the irony that was within it. I kind of laughed on the inside on how she cut her hair and sold it for money to get Jim a platinum fob chain. What I also found humorous was when Jim stared awhile and revealed his gift was The Combs she had been admiring. I also feel that there was a deeper message within the story behind the irony. The Magi were wise men who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. I believe the author was conveying a message saying that what was most important was what they ended up sacrificing in order to please the other. I think the main message is that no matter what, love is the unselfish gift that matters. This is why I think the author was relating the two stories and compared the unselfish children to the Magi, which is why Jim said to put the presents away for a later time. Other irony I noticed in the story was that both mentioned the needs of coats and neither had one. I think the author mentions the sensible thing to get one another on purpose in order to set up the story for ironic twists that come out to be humorous but also convey a serious message and comparison to events that happened in the Bible. I have found myself in a similar position in which I have sacrificed something that meant a lot to me in order to get a gift for someone. My situation did not end up being ironic but essentially the same message. The author emphasizes that presents do not have to be tactile, just the mere thought of it is what really matters. I enjoyed this story very much and can relate to it personally and understand the deeper meaning of what was being said. I personally like ironic stories because they have humor in them and also find it easier to understand compared to a very complicated written piece of work.