English A2 : Complex Factual Activity

The Magi visited Jesus after his birth to give gifts to honour him.

The Magl wanted to celebrate their Christmas by exchanging gifts. They were the first people to give Christmas gifts.

The climax should have been the happiness and joy on the faces of Jim and Della when they see their gifts. It ends up as an anti-climax because though they had got what they coveted, neither of them could now use the gifts.

Jim knew that neither of them could use their Christmas gifts for the time being. Hence, he wanted to put them away and keep them for some time. He wanted to get back to daily life. Hence, he asked Della to put the chops on.

Jim and Della are referred to as the Magi because first each willingly sacrificed his/her prized possession for the sake of the loved one. Then they wisely realized that unselfish love is the greatest of all gifts.

Jim sold his gold watch to buy a Christmas gift for Della. Yes, he did it willingly, even though it was his prized possession.

Jim's gift to Della was the set of tortoise shell combs that she had adored. She had craved and yearned for them, so that they could adorn her beautiful hair. When she opened the package and saw them, she was first ecstatic with joy that she had got what she had coveted; but her scream of joy turned to wails when she remembered that the beautiful hair they would have adorned was now cut off. The gift was hence useless.

Della opened the package that Jim had given her with nimble fingers. She first gave an ecstatic scream of joy. which soon changed to hysterical tears and wails. Jim had to immediately comfort and soothe her. However, she hugged the gift lovingly to her bosom.

(1) An ecstatic scream of Joy; and then alas! A quick feminine change to hysterical tears and wails.
(2) And now, suppose you put the chops on.

Jim could not believe that Della had cut off her hair. He went into a trance, just repeating what Della was saying. He had an air of idiocy. He then slowly came out of his trance and gave Della a package.

Jim saw that Della had cut off her beautiful hair. It was seeing this that sent him into a trance.

The next two hours tripped by on rosy wings.

Della had cut off her beautiful hair, which Jim had loved. She was worried about his reaction to her short hair, and to make it look better she had curled her newly-cut hair. She looked at her reflection critically hoping that Jim would like it.

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 at his beard with envy.

Della sold her lovely long hair to get money to buy a Christmas present for Jim. She sold it to a woman who dealt in hair goods of all kinds. Yes, she did it willingly even though it was her prized possession.

The next day was Christmas Day and Della had only one dollar and eighty-seven cents with which to buy Jim a present. She had spent a lot of time thinking about a good present for him, but with the money she had saved she would not get anything worthy of him. Hence, she was feeling disturbed.

(a) Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one's cheeks burned.
(b) It did not actually beggar description, but certainly had that word on the look out for the mendicancy squad.
(c) Whenever Mr. James Dillingham Young came home and reached his flat above he was called 'Jim' and greatly hugged by Mrs. James Dillingham Young.

Della saved one dollar and eighty-seven cents for Christmas. It shows that she was very poor and penny-
inching.