Judy Brady I Want a Wife
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Wanting a Wife
In Judy Bradys “Why I Want a Wife”, she argues that in a traditional marriage, the role of a wife and a husband can be unequal. Some might consider that the wifes duties are expected to be more of a challenge, while not so much of the husband. Brady tries to convince women to break this tradition. She lists some vivid examples of a wifes tasks. She efficiently uses the rhetorical tools as a way to persuade her audience, and win their approval. By using these rhetorical tools thoroughly, Brady successfully achieves her objection. Her repetition of “I” shows the husbands selfish viewpoint.
Right at the beginning of the essay, Brady states that she is a wife herself; “I belong to that classification of people known as wives,” (340). With this argument, it makes it more convincing coming from a married woman, than if it had been made by an unmarried woman. This, in the minds of the reader, shows that she has a little more experience than others, to tell us what being a wife is really like. Brady knows how wives are traditionally expected to do, because she too is a wife. After all, she does all of the things she mentions on a daily basis. If a women telling this story is not a wife, than we would have problems with believing, and we might think her true motives for writing the essay to be unrelated to marriage, and perhaps more of a deceitful nature
In Bradys essays, she describes how a male friend of hers recently got divorced. He was already looking for a new wife. His wanting a new wife made her realize how much she too, would like to have a wife. Brady could go back to school and study. Her wife would be home to take care of the kids, and run the household. The wife would be the one to hold a job, and still be expected to handle the children, wash the clothes, prepare the meals, and keep the house clean. On top of being expected to work and care for the kids, the wife must also cook, clean, and arrange social activities for the family. Brady says, “I want a wife who cooks the meal, a wife who is a good cook,” (341). If Brady ever wanted someone to talk to about her problems, her wife would be there to listen. The wife on the other hand, she would be expected to not complain about her duties as a wife. She goes on to tell the readers how her satisfactions will be met “I want a wife who is sensitive to my sexual needs,” (342). If the wife didnt work out, Brady could simply replace her. The old wife would take the kids, and Brady would start a new life. After all, she concludes, “Who wouldnt want a wife?” (342).
Brady presents a strong argument against views of a wifes role in a family. Brady has the identification and background needed; she provides many examples that are believable. Her argument presents itself in the right way to catch the readers