I Want a Wife by Judy Brady is a satirical passage that draws attention to the unfair expectations given to wives by their husbands. Because this was published in 1971 I can assume that it was written to empower housewives and show them that they are not alone. It was also written for men to shed light as to how they have been unfairly treating their wives. Brady writes using a very sarcastic tone which reveals that she thinks wives of the time period are treated very unfairly by their husbands. She ends her satire with a very powerful rhetorical question that sums up the idea that traditional, perfect wives cater to all of their husbands' needs. The rhetorical question is another way of Brady explaining that expectations of wives are completely absurd.
Something that I found very interesting in this satire is that the author is a woman yet she writes in first person so it comes from the point of view of a husband. Brady makes her speaker a very typical husband yet it is clear that his expectations for his wife are outrageous. Also, when describing all of the duties and benefits of having a wife, the speaker is never respectful or appreciative of the wife. Through the use of elevated diction the author is trying to convince her audience that well educated men still have wrong views towards their wives. The author uses repetition by beginning most of her sentences with "I want a wife." This emphasizes that in a marriage the man's desires are met and not the woman's. Brady organizes the satire into paragraph with a different wifely duty in each. This breaks up all of the female roles and helps the reader to individually focus on their absurdity.
Works Cited:
Brady, Judy. "I Want a Wife." 1971. Web. 8 Dec. 2015.
Something that I found very interesting in this satire is that the author is a woman yet she writes in first person so it comes from the point of view of a husband. Brady makes her speaker a very typical husband yet it is clear that his expectations for his wife are outrageous. Also, when describing all of the duties and benefits of having a wife, the speaker is never respectful or appreciative of the wife. Through the use of elevated diction the author is trying to convince her audience that well educated men still have wrong views towards their wives. The author uses repetition by beginning most of her sentences with "I want a wife." This emphasizes that in a marriage the man's desires are met and not the woman's. Brady organizes the satire into paragraph with a different wifely duty in each. This breaks up all of the female roles and helps the reader to individually focus on their absurdity.
Works Cited:
Brady, Judy. "I Want a Wife." 1971. Web. 8 Dec. 2015.