Reading "The Gift of the Magi"

 This classic short story tells a tale of selfless love between a husband and wife. Like many O. Henry stories, “The Gift of the Magi” is famous for  its surprise ending.

 Della and Jim are short on money but not on love. On Christmas Eve, Della resorts to selling her hair—her most cherished possession—in order to buy a special gift for her beloved husband. 

Making a Connection

If you could save just one item from a disaster—a fire, a flood, an earthquake—what would it be? In a few sentences, describe your most cherished possession, and explain why you treasure it. Was it a gift? If so, how does that make it especially important to you?

Reading The Crucible: What happened in Salem? Is there such a thing as witch hunting nowadays?

 According to the Merriam Webster dictionary  witch hunt  may be defined as a searching out for persecution of persons accused of witchcraft  or : the searching out and deliberate harassment of those (as political opponents) with unpopular views .

 A witch hunt occurs any time a group of people persecutes another group unfairly, usually blaming that group for larger problems. Examples of “witch hunts” during the 20th century might be the Holocaust or  the McCarthy trials:

Understanding the historical facts will give you a clear view and perspective to better understand the book and open your eyes to any form of modern day witch hunt.

During class you will watch a video about Puritan life in America. To help you complete your search please follow these links


New England Puritans
 The Salem Witchcraf Trials 1692
Life in Salem 1692
The Story of the Witch Hunt
The People Behind the Trials
Experience The Trials
http://www.salemweb.com/memorial/
Salem Village Interactive Map



The Crucible was inspired by a 20th centurywitch hunt known as the Mcarthy Trials. Do you believe there are witchunts in our days? pick at least one and write a complete essay about it ,comparing and contrasting it to the Crucible and the Salem witch trials.
You MUST post  this essay as a comment to this Post. Due date for this writing (2.2) project is February 16.

What Lays Beyond the Pages of a Book

You have heard teachers and other people say that books are friends, that reading is good, that it widens and broadens your horizons, that reading opens new worlds. May be you have said the same, or you have experienced it yourself, but, is there more than ink on paper on books? what lays beyond the pages of a book?
Find out about the events, times and history where the stories take place and enjoy them more while you enrichen your knowledge and culture.

For example, 9th graders please visit http://www.zunal.com/webquest.php?w=71988 for a day in the 1930's