-
The Gift of the Magiby O. Henry
-
About the Author, O. HenryBorn in North CarolinaBorn September
11, 1862An avid readerWrote 600 short storiesWrote for a
newspaperMaster of surprise endings
-
The CharactersDella Young- young wife, loves her husband, thin
person
Jim Dillingham Young young husband, loves his wife, works hard
for little pay
-
The SettingNew York CityEarly 1900s
-
New York City in 1900
-
Mulberry Street in Little Italy
-
Life in New York City in 1900
-
Daily Living in New York City
-
New York History New York City in the 1900s
Just before the new century the five boroughs, Queens, Staten
Island, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the Bronx, were conceived.
Grand Central Terminal opened and became the world's largest
train station. Citizens and visitors of New York were going places
fast.
The early part of the century saw Broadway flourish for the
first time.
The New York Times newspaper moved its offices in 1904 to an
area near 42nd Street, which was renamed Times Square in honor of
the publication.
Each year thousands gather to watch a ball drop from a building
to signal the beginning of a new year.
The Empire State Building standing 102-stories 1,250 feet high
was constructed.
-
Empire State Building
-
New York City Apartment BuildingA building with flats.
-
Then and NowEarly 1900s .09 cents
Now $1.50 - $2.50
-
School Lunch in the 1900sSchool lunches needed to be healthy in
order to battle the malnutrition and poor diets of immigrant
children. Prior to the school lunch program, schools usually had a
lunch hour in which children were permitted to go home to eat.
However, most immigrant mothers worked and had to give their
children money since no one was home during the day. Their children
would use their money for buying pickles. While some schools served
free lunch, others charged a small free. Immigrant settlement
worker, Mabel Hyde Kittredge organized the School Lunch Committee,
which served three cent lunches in some schools (Berrol 1970
,139).
-
School
-
Dellas Combs
-
Jims Watch
-
SoWho are the Magi?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 O. Henry
