I Want a Wife (analysis Paper)

Women haven't always had the same right as men. Women, for a big part of history were neglected on and looked up upon as uneducated, powerless and always below men especially in the 1970's. Judy Brady, a female writer wrote a passage titled "I want a Wife" in the spring of 1972. Brady writes it in the perspective of a woman using the tone of a man. Brady doesn't want a wife literally, she is writing in a sarcastic way to point out men always expect so much from women.

Throughout the passage, Brady uses the phrase "I want a wife..." or "I want..." before most of the sentences and paragraphs. For example, paragraph 4 is where the repetitiveness of the phrase "I want a wife" is used most. Brady uses the repetition of this phrase almost before every sentence to point out the selfishness of a husband and men who pictures a wife that would do everything listed in the passage. Also, the repetition of this phrase makes her ideas stronger, stands out more, and gets the clear message to those who read the passage.

The passage while bring sarcastic points out many good things. In the passage, it is charily shown what Brady's arguments are about. One of her arguments is that women are required to do too much. For example in the first paragraph it says "I want a wife who will work and send me to school. And while I am going to school I want a wife to take care of my children. I want a wife to keep track of the children doctor and dentist appointments. I want a wife to make sure my children eat properly and are kept clean. I want a wife..." All the while Brady is listing the role men want from a wife, she doesn't mention directly that women are required to a lot. She has a sarcastic and casual tone, in which it also helps the audience of the passage to know exactly what she is talking about.

Examples that Brady includes in the passage helps anger women audience members when she makes the wife looks more and is emphasized as a slave. For example, it says "I want a wife to go along when our family takes a vacation so that someone can continue to care for me and my children when I need to rest and change of scene" This gives audience members an sense of exaggeration and also emphasizes the wife as a slave because even during free time, vacation, men require the women to follow along and make them work instead of relaxing.

Brady goes and throughout the whole passage explains and points out her arguments satirically. After listing everything that men require from women, at the end she finishes off with one simple sentence: "My god, who wouldn't want a wife?" This sentence satirically shows the emotional side of her and helps support the argument as it allows the audience to conclude that what men think they how women should be are wrong. This will help in making the audience take action by feeling angry and by also getting emotionally