Sample Student Paper Professor Judy Crozier English 1C- Literary ...

Sample Student Paper
Professor Judy Crozier
English 1C- Literary Analysis
July 26, 2010
The Price of Love
Robles 1
Over the years it has been proven that true love is unselfish and has no boundaries. Not
even poverty can keep two people from expressing their love for one another. In the short story,
"The Gift of The Magi" by O. Henry, a poor married couple give up their two most priced
possessions to buy each other a Christmas gift. Della Dillingham, the wife, gives up her long
beautiful hair for twenty dollars which she uses to buy a fob chain for her husbands watch. Jim
Dillingham, the husband, gives up his very meaningful gold watch in order to buy his wife a
decorative comb set she had long desired. Neither of them imagined that these gifts will hold no
value at the moment they are received. But, that didn't bother them because the love they have
for each other is what they value the most.
Whether you lived in the early 1900's or in the new millennium, some traditions never
change. Giving gifts on Christmas day first began when the three wise men (the magi) brought
valuable gifts to baby Jesus. Nowadays, people continue to give gifts to their loved ones on
Christmas day or for special occasions. Jim and Della can relate to the magi because they value
each other and therefore wanted to demonstrate it with a meaningful gift. “Something fine and
rare and sterling-something just a little bit near to being worthy of the honor of being owned by
Jim” (Henry, 1). Although times were tough for them and they had very little money, they
didn’t allow that to ruin their Christmas. Furthermore, they show us how much their marriage
means to them and how proud they are of having each other by sacrificing.

There are few things that should be more valuable than others, such as love. Material
Robles 2
things can come and go at any time in ones life. One day you may have a job that pays very well
and the next day that job is gone, nothing is guaranteed. Jim, “was being paid $30 per week.
Now... the income was shrunk to $20” (Henry, 1). Today, people still use material things to
show their loved ones how much they care. They try to compensate for lost time or lack of
affection by buying each other a special something. The more expensive the gift, the more it
shows how strong their feelings are. What people fail to realize is that value should never be
placed on an object but on the act itself. An act such as Jim and Della’s who sacrificed the two
greatest treasures they owned.
In life, you either choose to make the best out of any situation or you choose to live
unhappy. The beauty about life is that you have the choice to do as you please with it. Jim and
Della decided that their happiness would be giving each other a gift even if it meant sacrificing.
“... Be good to me, for it went for you...but nobody could ever count my love for you...” (Henry,
2). The irony in this story teaches us a very good lesson- the couple was poor in materials, but
rich in love. Their gifts held no value at the moment, but their love did. Sometimes no matter
what the outcome is, what matters the most is that there is love and happiness.
In conclusion, one can learn a lot about life from a story like this. Moreover, Jim and
Della seem to have learned that their most valued possessions are nothing they will ever own but
instead, their most valued possessions are each other. The unselfish sacrifices we make for
those we love, bring peace and happiness that is otherwise so difficult to achieve.
Works Cited.
Henry, O. “The Gift of The Magi." ClassicShortStories.com 1995-2007. 1 August 2010.
http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/magi.html