In "the gift of the magi," o. henry most likely uses the irony of the couple’s gifts to express the theme that

a. expensive gifts are sometimes a mistake.
b. love and sacrifice for others is the highest virtue.
c. material goods usually increase in value over time.
d. it is best to retain one’s most prized possessions.

B. Love and sacrifice for others is the highest virtue.

Explanation:

O. Henry's short story "The Gift of the Magi" is a story of immense moralistic value, emphasizing on the selfless acts of love. The characters of Jim and Della gave us the perfect example of a couple's undying love for each other despite their personal wants.

Della bought Jim a watch chain while Jim bought an ornamental comb for Della who has long beautiful hair. When both decide to give each other the Christmas gifts they had bought for one anther, it turns out there was no use for them. Della had cut and sold her hair to buy the watch chain while Jim had also sold his watch to buy the comb. The irony in the couple's gift expresses the theme that love and sacrifice for others is the highest virtue anyone could have.

1.   in sonnet 18, the speaker wants to describe the beauty of his love, but can’t find the words to do so. the speaker says “then in mid-utterance the lay was lost” when he tries to think of the words to describe his love’s beauty.   through his defeat of finding words to describe his love, he shows his love for her.

2.   instead of describing how perfect his love is or comparing her to other beautiful things, he says she is average and there is nothing special about her.   at the last 2 lines of the poem, the volta changes the poem by saying that even though his love is average in beauty, his love for her is special and unique. so instead of praising her throughout the whole poem, he contrasts her average characteristics with his special love for her.

3.   the beloved asked the speaker to describe how he feels about her. she begins to describe what she feels but "drop the torch" and says that she can't do it because the words "hid in me out of reach." the the speaker says "nay, let the silence of my womanhood command my woman-love to thy belief" and that her silence will have to be the answer to his question.