Who Are the Magi? Essay

Submitted By lcargal
Words: 702
Pages: 3
Open Document
Who are the Magi? “Every author prior to sometime in the middle of the twentieth century was solidly instructed in religion” (Foster 52). O. Henry wrote “The Gift of the Magi” right after the turn of the twentieth century. Growing up prior to the twentieth century O. Henry would have received constant instruction about the bible because religion was an important part of society during that time. The instruction he received as a child became ingrained in him and became very evident in his writing. “There were two possessions of the James Dillingham Young’s in which they both took mighty pride. One was Jim’s gold watch…. The other was Della’s hair.” (Henry 2) When explaining the sheer beauty of the hair O. Henry writes, “Had the queen of Sheba lived I 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.” (Henry 2) The queen of Sheba was a biblical figure who was known for looking for signs of wealth, power, and wisdom in a number of different ways. One sign of wisdom the queen of Sheba used was the hair of someone in power. If the person in question has long beautiful hair they are wise. This was the case in particular with another biblical figure named Samson who deprecated her wealth. “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 his beard with envy.” (Henry 2) King Solomon was known for his abundance of treasures especially after the plethora of gifts the queen of Sheba gave him. When someone else had a treasure worth more than King Solomon’s he would become envious. The envy shown from King Solomon was the source of the comparison used by O. Henry in “The Gift of the Magi”. The magi are another important aspect of O. Henry’s story that doubles as a biblical reference. In the Bible the magi are kings who come to the manger and present Jesus gifts, in this case of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The practice of giving loved ones gifts on Christmas originated from the gifts the Magi gave Jesus. Della and Jim went out looking for Christmas gifts for each other and in turn traded in their most prized possessions. In speaking of the wise men O. Henry writes, “Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in case of duplication”. The gifts the magi brought Jesus were of value no matter how much someone received because gold, frankincense, and myrrh were…
Show More

Related Documents: Who Are the Magi? Essay

Essay Canada Who

infected persons’ face. There is approximately a 90% mortality rate for noma. If caught early, however, it is possible for it to be treated by mild antibiotics and rehabilitation. It is estimated that 140, 000 new cases of Noma are reported a year (WHO statistic) and only 10% of the infected survive. Long term effects of survivors include permanent facial contortion, as well as facial disability. In addition, plastic surgery may be required to reconstruct facial bones and improve usage of the mouth…

Words 3064 - Pages 13

Who Am I Essay

Who Am I? Ethics/125 Cultural Diversity February 20, 2014 Tanesha Callahan Who Am I? Introduction This PowerPoint presentation explains discrimination in the United States from the past and the present. It will be exciting to discover that race mattered then and it matters today. The slides will delve into the following issues: Race Does Matter Identification Ancestry Unequal Treatment Segregated Schools Enduring Discrimination Civil Rights Movement I am sharing my journey…

Words 948 - Pages 4

who is saved Essay

Who did Christ die for? Who did Christ die for? Without looking into this question at all my mind initially says everyone. I talked with both of my parents about this and they as well both said everyone. But what does the Bible say? In Matthew 26:28 it says “This is my blood of the[a] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” So Jesus didn’t say that He died for ALL but for many. Who are the many? What else does scripture say about who Christ really died for? John 17:9…

Words 869 - Pages 4

Shrimp Tariffs: Who Gains and Who Loses Essay

Julio Hidalgo ECON312 Instructor: Jamison Bowman Shrimp Tariffs: Who Gains and Who Loses Essay Tariffs on shrimp imports? Who were the ones that were going to win out of it and who were the ones that had a lot to loose? It was a very close call when the U.S. International Trade Commission, announced a proposed tariff on all shrimp importing around mid year of 2004. The main targeting countries for this proposal with the tariffs were none other than China, Vietnam, Thailand…

Words 775 - Pages 4

Who Is A Home Inspector Essay

Who is a home Inspector? Home inspector" means any person licensed as a home inspector pursuant to the provisions of this act. Engaged by the client Works for fee. "What is a Home inspection" "Home inspection" means a visual, functional, non-invasive inspection conducted for a fee or any other consideration and performed without moving personal property, furniture, equipment, plants, soil, snow, ice, or debris, using the mandatory equipment and including the preparation of a home inspection report…

Words 342 - Pages 2

Who built the sphinx Essay

Who built the sphinx? Essay By: Dalton Ure Over the years Egyptologists have been stumped by the question of who built the sphinx, utterly unable to offer any concise answers to the question that has perplexed so many before them. There seems to now be a greater amount of evidence supporting the idea of Khafre as the builder. This theory greatly transcends the possibility of it being built by other pharos such as Djedefre, his brother, or Khufu, his father whom the sphinx actually resembles most…

Words 519 - Pages 3

The Who Essay

English IV Honors “The Who” Rated third in the so-called Holy Trinity makes them known as The Who. This British Rock Band came into America during the second wave of the British Invasion. With them originally named as The Detour, the band had found out around mid-1963 that another band appeared on national television with the same name and this had forced them to change their name. They then held a meeting at original band member, Peter Townshend’s apartment and everybody all threw out suggestions…

Words 1007 - Pages 5

The Who Essay

The Who, original members John Entwistle, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltry were originally in Townshend’s band The Detours. Colin Dawson was the up-front vocalist of the The Detours up until 1963, when Daltry assumed lead vocals. Working exceptionally hard, within the year, the band became “semi-pro”, playing in west London in a circuit of ballrooms, pubs and clubs. Not long into 1964, The Detours changed their name from a suggestion from Townshend’s art school friend Richard Barnes. The Who officially…

Words 890 - Pages 4

Determining who and why Essay

Determining Who and Why Determining Who and Why Recruitment and Selection methods According the text, “Recruitment is a business, and it is big business. It demands serious attention from management because any business strategy will falter without the talent to execute it” (Cascio, 2010). Choosing the right candidate is crucial to the success of any organization moreover choosing the most effective and timely recruiting and selection method is equally important. There are many methods…

Words 439 - Pages 2