Brady's Reasoning Behind Her Idea Of Why She Would Want A Wife

What is a Wife? What is a Daughter? Are they the same, or are they different? A wife supports a husband, but a daughter could also have the same position could she not? A daughter could marry and become a wife, and still be a daughter. Than again, a wife could be an only child, and a wife could have no father. A wife compares to a daughter in many ways, and differs in many different ways as well. All in all, it?s quite possible that all women, go through at least one of these titles, at one point in there lives.

She essentially discusses how she does all of these things, but doesn’t get much in return. Another example of pathos in this essay is when she talks specifically about the sexual relationship that a wife and husband have. “I want a wife who is sensitive to my sexual needs, a wife who makes love passionately and eagerly when I feel like it, a wife who will not demand sexual attention when I am not in the mood for it.” In this quote, Brady compares the sex that a wife has with her husband to another chore that she does. She shows that there is no mutual emotion or desire between them and that it is more of a duty of a wife rather than a pleasure. Essentially, she compares herself and any other wife to a sex puppet who is just there to service the husband with little to no joy. These two examples make the reader sympathize with Brady and the common housewife because of all of the responsibilities that they have as well as how they get little to no pleasure out of what they have to do. Lastly, Brady’s hasty tone shows her resentment towards divorced men as well as men in general. This allows the audience to understand her feelings on the topic of gender dynamics and it forces the audience to feel that way too.

In Judy Brady’s essay, “I Want a Wife,” she examines why she would like to have a wife. Brady believes that a wife performs all house chores and the husband does nothing, but to expect the wife to do everything for him. Brady tries to persuade the reader to look at a husband viewpoint of what a wife should be. The essay was written during the early 1960’s, during the second wave of the feminist movement in America. Brady is pushed by certain reasons to write, “I Want a Wife” to show the humanist humor.

Throughout this article Brady uses ethos, logos, and pathos to illustrate her opinion that the wife does too much in a family. Brady connects with her audience by relating to what was expected of them back in the 1970’s. She states reasons to why she wants a wife and lists what she says a wife would do for her. Lastly, Brady connects emotionally to her audience by

In paragraph 3, she gives us a good example how "a man could leave a girl standing at the church altar with a bouquet of fresh flowers in her hands and disappear off the face of the earth" (67). Men seem to make wrong decisions by leaving a girl behind and don't care what will or may happen to the girl. Men are tired of female drama, so she decides to leave it all behind him. In Paragraph 5, she explains how "marriage was not something men would hope for but to pay for privilege of children" (67). Men don't care if they find the right women for marriage as long the women can produce children for them. Men don't want to settle down for only one woman but many women. She wants people to find out their hidden identity in the future. Kate married at the age of 17;

In paragraphs one and two, the author introduces herself and gives her explanation and reasoning for wanting a wife. Brady demonstrates her credibility in these paragraphs. “I belong to that classification of people known as wives. I am A Wife. And, not altogether incidentally, I am a mother.” Brady introduces herself as A Wife and a mother, showing her empirical knowledge. The author then capitalizes “A Wife” because she wants to emphasize and argue that she is a wife, not a servant or any other job description. By capitalizing these words she is showing that wives are no longer looked at as people, but as objects or as a type of job. She then begins to explain how she came about wanting a wife. “Not too long ago a male friend of mine appeared on the scene fresh from a recent divorce...He is looking for another wife. As I thought about him while I was ironing one evening, it suddenly occurred to me that I, too, would like to have a wife.” She employs irony thourgh this statement. Of course, she was ironing or doing chores because she is A Wife, that is what they are supposed to do. She shows a short glimpse at her job title and her job description.

The definition of a wife is a married women. In this definition it does not list jobs a wife is obligated to preform. A wife is does not have to do everything her husband asks or expects her to do. In “Why I Want a Wife” Judy Brady uses pathos to connect emotionally through anger and sarcasm.

One of Brady's main style techniques is the use of repetition. She is constantly describing what she wants in a wife and the duties that the wife should take care of: "I want a wife who will not bother me with rambling complaints about a wife's duties." Brady believes that the wife does everything and the husband does nothing but expect his wife to do everything. Her repetition of "I" shows the husband's selfish viewpoint: "I want a wife who will work and send me to school"

In Judy (Syfers) Brady’s article, “I Want a Wife”, she expresses her opinions in a satirical commentary that offers hypothetical criteria for an ideal wife, with an underlying message that deals with how people should be grateful for all of the deeds and chores that women do. Brady utilizes the strategy of

In the beginning when Adam was created, God knew man needed a woman to fulfill the Earth so he made Eve. The household perception of society in the 1970’s was that men needed a woman to do everything for him. A husband went to his job and did nothing while his wife ran the household, cared for their children, including the husband himself. The wife rarely had time for herself and acted as a slave for her family. Judy Brady uses logos to connect with her audience in “Why I Want a Wife”.

the narrator reflects on why she too would like to have a wife after a visit with a recently

Notoriously, the 1970’s is accredited with a famous fight for freedom and the rights of many women through the women's rights movement. This battle for equality struck the hearts of many and offered a passionate cause to fight for and like many, Judy Brady voices her opinion in an article written for Ms. Magazine, titled “ Why I Want a Wife.” She offers an inside look into what a wife’s expectations in the home life are like and gets very personal in her article. By getting so emotionally close and letting her readers take a step into her shoes, Brady uses pathos along side a sarcastic tone to provide a great text representing her emotions at such an important time in our history.

Another disagreement I have with Brady is that she makes it seem as if the duties she is listing out wife duties, she does not support her statements at all which make it seem as if only she encountered these events such as when she says, “I want a wife who will listen to me when I feel the need to explain a rather difficult point I have come across in my course studies...I want a wife who will type my papers for me when I have written them.”. This makes it seem as if most, even all husbands will go back to school and have their wives do their class work for them when it may have just for Brady.

I Want a Wife is a essay that’s often taught as a satire, when in fact it should be taught as a conversation starter about what marriage is and what people want out of it. A wife job is to satisfies a husband’s needs, to pertain to his sexual activities, and be a supportive wife. In the short story of “I Want a Wife by Judy Brady, Judy explains why she would want a wife. most house choirs were a woman’s job, taking care of the children was a wife’s job.

I want wife. These words are spoken in an ambiguous tone. There could be many meanings to it, whether it is supporting the feminist movement, or simply making fun of it. The letter is admirable in such a way, that the arguable point makes the essay remembered. It appeals to both sides, and does not give too much or too little. The repetition of the phrase “I want a wife” adds emphasis to the essay. It also makes it memorable.