In the space below, write a 500-word essay describing the theme of o. henry’s “the gift of the magi.” explain how the author uses irony as an essential tool in developing this theme.

o'henry used irony in "the gift of the magi". this tool was essential to developing the story's theme by showing that the couple bought gifts for each other that they could not actually use at the moment. the author used this to show that people of the society should value the things they've received from others, because you may never know if they sacrificed there most nicest possession to get the gift for the other person.

Read the excerpt below from the poem "exile" by julia alvarez and answer the question that follows. i let myself lie back in deep waters, my arms out like jesus' on his cross, and instead of sinking down like i'd always done, magically, that night, i could stay up, floating out past the driveway, past the gates, in the black ford, papi grim at the wheel, winding through the back roads, stroke by difficult stroke, out on the highway, heading toward the coast. which literary device is used in the comparison between the speaker's experience of fleeing the country and floating in the ocean? i let myself lie back in deep waters, my arms out like jesus' on his cross, and instead of sinking down like i'd always done, magically, that night, i could stay up, extended metaphor symbolism simile theme