What a wife it would be When a reader first looks at Brady’s essay one might think it was written by a man. However after reading the first paragraph the reader will realize that the author is indeed a woman and may be confused as to why the title is “Why I Want A Wife”. Brady gives a reasonable argument as to the unequal views on the roles of the husband and wife. By listing the many examples of a wife’s responsibilities, she hopes to sway a woman or man’s feelings and encourages them to perhaps modify the usual tradition of marriage and companionship. The audience she has chosen would most likely be women or married couples.
I Want A Wife, Or Maybe A Husband As I read Judy Brady's article, "I Want A Wife," I found it to be full of humor and witticism. Brady mentions many relevant points for wanting a wife throughout the essay that I tend to agree with, but she always uses sarcasm and takes it a bit too far. As I continued to read, I realized that there are some comments that compare to my own life experiences. Brady does a good job at getting the reader's attention rather quickly by using the title " I Want A Wife", considering that she is a female, and the date when the essay was written (December 1971). These observations, coupled with her never ending excuses of why she wants a wife throughout the essay, kept me interested and also had me considering how they might compare to my life experiences.
The fifth reason is that a wife can satisfy her husband sexual needs. She will not demand him when he is not in the mood but will be ready for him when he wants it. After listing the reasons why the author wants a wife, she feels tired of her role as a wife and a mother. She wishes she could have someone to replace her so that she can
The parts that bother me the most was about the wife giving sexual need to their spouses. Men think is an obligation of their wife’s to satisfied them whenever they want and that only them can feel pleasure, “I want a wife who is sensitive to my sexual needs, a wife that makes sure I am satisfied”. Making women feel like an object. Brady obviously wants to prove a point that women are undervalue, and that men feel women are replaceable. and this is shown on the essay when she writes this ”If, by chance , I find another person more suitable as a wife than the wife I already have, I want the liberty to replace my present wife with another one” Really, is sad but is the truth, men do think women’s are objects they can’t take and leave when they want and demand things and expect to received without giving.
This shows how the women are suppose to please the men no matter how much gruesome pain the women go through, therefore making wives a sort of ‘sex slave’. Alice Walker’s overall message, that men and women get treated unequally, sticks out like a sore thumb. One way she shows this message is by showing how men were allowed to have multiple wives. For example, in the beginning when Tashi is reciting a
Eleanor Maccoby states, in reports from her own and others that “for women and for girls intimacy is the fabric of relationship, and talk is the thread from which it is woven” (110). Men get confused by the different ways women use conversation to be intimate with others. For example; “For women, talking about problems is the essence of connection” (Homestar). Men, however, hear trouble talk as a request for advice, so they react or respond with a solution instead of answers. When men offer their advice the women feels as if he is trying to diminish her problem; in fact they are doing the opposite.
Since the husband’s role is to go out and provide a living for his family, the wives job is to look after the home. It may not be considered a public work, but her position within the home is still very vital and important. Her role is a non income producing activity, but ensures the success of the family. Another role for a Christian wife is the raising of her children. Titus 2: 3-5 states that, "Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored," (The Christian Woman", 2004).
The fact that the wife at the end, reveals that she had planned to stay at home and trim hats for the day, further makes the situation seem exasperating for the husband because all of the arguments were for nothing except the sake of arguing. Also, the subtle humor that develops when the wife prepares to send a telegram to a friend and does not protest her husband’s choice of how he spends his day, resulting in him proclaiming that she is going to meet another man is a subtle way of making fun of the jealousy that some men show in their relationships. The work caught my attention because I found it funny myself when I read it. I would have been able to see the humor, even if it had not been listed as a comedy in the title. It seems that the events
Another example of this carefree attitude is when Walter’s wife tries to convince him to buy overshoes. Walter just tells his wife that he does not want them even though he needs them. Walter’s carefree attitude does not come without consequences. Because of this carefree attitude,
"We have all feet of clay, women as well as men; but when we men love women, we love them knowing their weaknesses, their follies, their imperfections, love them all the more, it may be, for that reason. " (231) This quote does show how Sir Robert accepts lady Chiltern as an equal in the marriage however he does make some generalisations about the way sexes love each other. Despite this it is still relatable to a modern reader because even though the concept is outdated there is still an ongoing struggle between the sexes to understand each other. Another theme which is relatable to a modern reader is the theme of power. In modern context as in the context of the