O’Henry (biography)
(1862-1910)
1
О’Henry is a pseudonym of William Sidney Porter, American writer, famous for his short stories. He was bom in Greensboro. North Carolina and left school in his midteens. He worked in different jobs: as a bank teller (служащий в банке), as a journalist, etc. He founded a comic weekly magazine "The Rolling Stone” (1894- 1895) and then wrote a humorous daily column for a solid magazine.
2
In 1898 he was convicted of embezzlement (растрата) committed during the years as a bank teller, and served a three-year term in the federal penitentiary, where, some biographers say, he started to write his short stories. After that he settled in New York City, and wrote short stories for the popular magazines of his day. His short stories are full of colourfull details, humor and irony. There is always a surprise at the end. These qualities as well as many others made his stories attractive to the present day.
The Gift of the Magi
Part 1
1
• One dollar and eight-seven cents. That was ail. Three times Delia counted it. One dollar and eighty-seven cents. And the next day would be Christmas. Let’s take a look at Della’s home. A furnished flat at S8 per week and the income was S20 a week. Twenty dollars a week doesn’t go far. Expenses were greater. They always are. Only one dollar and eight-seven cents to buy a present for Jim. Her Jim. She wanted to buy something nice for him, something fine.
2
There were two possessions the family was proud of. One Jim’s gold watch that had been his father’s and his grandfather’s. The other was Della’s hair. It was long and shining like a cascade of brown waters. The Queen of Sheba (царица Савская) and King Solomon would have envied these possessions.
3
Della put on her brown jacket and her brown hat and went out to the street. Where she stopped the sign read “Mme. Sofronie. Hair Goods of All Kinds.” Madame, large, too white, looked at her. “Will you buy my hair?” asked Della. “I buy hair,” said Madame. “Take your hat off and let’s have a look at it.” “Twenty dollars”, said Madame, lifting the mass of Della’s hair with a practiced hand. “Give it to me quick”, said Della.
4
Della rushed to the stores for Jim’s present. She found it at last. It was a platinum chain simple in design. It was worthy of Jim’s watch. It was like him. Quietness and value - the description applied to both. Twenty - one dollars they took from her for it, and she hurried home with the 87 cents. With that chain on his watch Jim might be comfortable in any company.
5
When Della came home she got out her curling irons and lighted the gas and went to work. Within forty minutes her head was covered with pretty curls that made her look wonderfully like a schoolboy.
sn't kill me,” she said to herself, “If Jim doesn't kill me,” she said to herself, “he’ll say I look like a Coney Island chorus girl (хористка с Кони Айленда) But what could I do - oh! What could I do with a dollar and eighty-seven cents?”
At 7 o’clock the coffee was made and everything was ready to cook chops.
Part 2
1
Jim was never late. Soon Della heard the step on the stair, and she turned white for just a moment. She said: “Please God, make him think I am still pretty”. The door opened and Jim came in and closed it. Jim looked thin and very serious. Poor boy, he was only twenty-two and to be burdened with a family! He needed a new overcoat and he was without gloves.
2
“Jim, darling”, Della, said, “don’t look at me that way. I had mv hair cut off and sold it because I wanted to buy a Christmas present for you. The hair will grow out again. I just had to do it. My hair grows awfully fast. Say “Merry Christmas”, Jim, and let’s be happy. You don’t know what a nice - what a beautiful, nice gift I’ve got for you.”
3
Jim looked about the room curiously. “You say your hair is gone?” he said, with an air almost of idiocy. “You needn’t look for it”, said Della. “It’s sold, I tell you - sold and gone, too. It’s Christmas Eve, boy. Be good to me, for it went for you. Maybe the hairs of my head were numbered, but nobody could ever count my love for you. Shall I put the chops on, Jim?”
4
Jim drew a package from the overcoat pocket. “Don’t make any mistake, Dell,” he said, “about me. There’s nothing in the world that could make me like my girl any less.” Della unwrapped the package and found The Combs there - the set of combs that Della had worshipped for long in a Broadway window. They were very expensive combs, she knew, and now they were hers. “My hair grows so fast, Jim,” she said.
5
And then Della showed her present to Jim. “Isn’t it beautiful, Jim? I walked all over town to find it. You’ll have to look at the time three times a day now. Give me your watch. I want to see how it looks on it”. Jim smiled. “Dell”, said he, “let’s put our Christmas presents away and keep them a while. They are too nicе to use just at present. I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs. And now put the chops on.”
6
The magi were wise men. They brought gifts to the Babe in the manger (ясли, куда волхвы принесли дары младенцу Иисусу) They invented the art of giving Christmas presents and their gifts were wise ones. The two foolish children in a flat sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. However, 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 the wisest everywhere they are the wisest. They are the magi.
Key words and word combinations
Part 1
1-O’Henry is a pseudonym of William Sidney Porter
-Greensboro, North Carolina
-school in his midteens
-a bank teller
-The Rolling Stone
2-he was convicted of embezzlement
-served a three-year term in the federal penitentiary
1-a furnished flat -the income
2-there were two possessions
-was proud of
-the Queen of Sheba
-king Solomon would have envied
3-lifting the mass of Della's hair with a practiced hand
4-Della rushed to the stores -home
-Jim might be comfortable
5-she got out her curling irons -lighted the gas -went to work
-pretty curls that made her look
-if Jim doesn't kill me
-I look like a Coney Island chorus girl
Part 2
1-Jim was never late
-Jim came in and closed it
-to be burdened with a family
2-I had my hair cut off and sold it -will grow out again -I just had to do it
-awfully fast
3-Jim looked about the room curiously -were numbered
4-there’s nothing in the world that could make me like my girl any less
-the set of combs
-Della had worshiped for long
5-let’s put our Christmas presents away -to use just at present
6-they brought gifts to the babe in the manger
-they invented the art of giving Christmas presents
-wise ones
-two foolish children
-sacrificed for each other
Homework listening comprehension
Part 1
1. O’Henry was bom in 1862 and, his biographers say, started to write his short stories in prison. He had worked as a bank teller and committed embezzlement. As a result, he spent three years in the federal penitentiary. The years were not spent in vain. As it has been said his famous short stories appeared there.
2. O’Henry was a capable man. He tried different jobs. He was a bank teller, a journalist. He founded a comic weekl". He
didn’t live a long life. He died in 1910, at the age of 48.
3. "The Gift of the Magi” is one of the best short stories by О’Henry. It’s about a boy and a girl who were so much in love with each other that they could sacrifice their most expensive possessions for their love.
4. Della had a cascade of beautiful hair, Jim had an expensive watch that had been his father’s and grandfather’s. They both sold their possessions to give an expensive Christmas present to each other.
5. Della went out to the street and stopped in front of the sign "Hair Goods of All Kinds”. Madame Sofronie asked Della to take off her hat and show her hair. She lifted the mass of Della’s hair and said that the price was twenty dollars. Della agreed to sell her beautiful hair for this price.
6. Della rushed to the stores looking for Jim’s present. She found a platinum chain and decided it was just the present for her beloved boy. They took twenty-one dollars for it, and Della hurried home to meet Jim there.
7. Della hurried home with the 87 cents left from her expensive purchase. Della was happy because she could give her beloved boy an expensive and beautiful present for Christmas. It was a platinum chain for Jim's watch. The watch inherited from his father and grandfather and the new chain went together.
8. When Della came home she started to work. She got out the curling irons and lighted the gas. Forty minutes later her head was covered with curls. Della looked very pretty.
9. Della looked pretty with the new hair-do. However she was nervous. She was not sure Jim would like her new schoolboy look. At 7 o’clock Della was ready to meet Jim.
Part 2
1. Jim was never late. He always returned home at 7 o'clock. When Della heard his step on the stair she became nervous. "Please God, make him think I’m still pretty”. She was so nervous she even turned white for a moment.
2. Jim was thin and serious. He was only twenty-two, but already had a family. He earned the living of his small family, and they never had enough money. He needed a new overcoat and gloves. His biggest possession was a watch which had been his father’s and grandfather’s.
3. Delia loved Jim so much she had her beautiful hair cut off and sold it for twenty dollars. She wanted to buy an expensive Christmas present for her boy, and she did it. As for the. hair it will grow quickly. That was what she was telling Jim when he returned home and saw his girl’s new look.
4. It took Della some time to persuade Jim that her beautiful hair that was gone will grow fast, that she loved Jim and that was the most important thing in the world. The hairs on her head could be numbered, but nobody could count her love for Jim.
5. Della was mistaken about Jim. Nothing could make him love her any less. Jim gave her a package. Della unwrapped it and found the combs there that she had worshipped for long in a Broadway window.
6. Then Della showed her present to Jim. She walked all over town to find it. The platinum chain for Jim’s watch looked expensive and beautiful. Jim smiled. "Dell, let’s put our Christmas presents away and keep them a while. I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs. Our presents are too nice to use them at present.”
7. The title of the short story is "The Gifts of the Magi”. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents - as history says it. they brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. The two kids. Delia and Jim. were the wisest - they sacrificed for
each other the greatest treasures of their house.
Homework listening comprehension
The instructions could be:
1. Listen to the text and write the script of it.
2. Write questions to the text.
3. Reproduce the story close to the text.
4. Say what the text is about.