Judy Brady Essay

1072 Words5 Pages
Wife for Sale: Slightly Used. “I Want a Wife,” by Judy Brady, speaks out on the social dynamics of a 1971 husband and wife relationship using repetition, division, and analysis. Brady says she wants a wife, but does she really? Or is Brady just asking to have less responsibility? The emphasis of this piece is on the imbalance of power in a marriage between the husband and wife. Brady also attempts to illustrate the apathy and selfishness of the stereotypical husband, then throws in a well of complaints about how hard life is. The repetition of the piece is somewhat self-evident; the divisions and analysis, however, are wrapped in sarcasm, dripping with irony, and tilted toward casual, humorless wit. Repetition is a fundamental guideline in many aspects of life. Repetition is how very young children learn the basic building blocks for life such as speech, walking, safety, and security. As adults, repetition is essential in how we do our job, organize our lives, and even drive our cars. The author uses our human tendency towards repetition to keep the reader focused and remember the point. Brady repeats her mantra almost religiously throughout the essay, “I want a wife to keep. . .” (Brady 360), “I want a wife who. . .” (Brady 360), “I want my wife to. . .” (Brady 360), the statement I want a wife is used 23 times, not including the title. Brady demonstrates that continuous use of repetition gets attention, forms a childlike humor quality, and allows the reader to overlook her continuous grammatical errors. Brady’s repetitive refrain breaks, like a familiar chorus, in a well known song, turned into a round. It is no longer one chorus of society working together, but a vast chasm of gender division. Brady notes the differences in what is expected from a wife in the 1970s compared to that which is expected of a husband. Brady draws a dividing line down the
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