Question

Which sentence can be used as a claim for a literary analysis essay about “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry?

“The Gift of the Magi” is a story about a couple who sacrifice their most valuable possessions to buy presents for each other.


Della and Jim’s love for each other means more to them than their most prized possessions.


The theme of sacrifice and unselfish love is depicted in O. Henry’s short story “The Gift of the Magi.”


O. Henry, who wrote the story “The Gift of the Magi,” is one of the most influential short-story writers.

Answer 1

C. The theme of sacrifice and unselfish love is depicted in O. Henry’s short story “The Gift of the Magi.”

Step-by-step explanation:

this answer gives detail and the summary of the text apart from a b and d and then thats when parenthical citation comes in

Answer 2

The theme of sacrifice and unselfish love is depicted in O. Henry’s short story “The Gift of the Magi.”

A literary analysis needs to analyze the text not give a summary. The first and second options only give a summary statement about what happens in the text. Since these are simply facts, they cannot be analyzed with the detail and depth an essay would require. The last option about O. Henry could be debated in an essay; however, it would require the essay to discuss all of O. Henry's short stories not just "The Gift of the Magi". This would not be a literary analysis.