Judy Brady sarcastically describes women’s roles in the 1970s in her essay “I Want a Wife”. As a part of a growing feminist movement, Brady wished to make known the daily hardships women face in their households. Brady crafts her satirical essay making use of rhetorical strategies, repetition, emotional appeal, and reversal, in order to shed light on the prevailing stereotypes and expectations set upon women in her time.
Brady forms her essay while keeping her audience in mind. She recognizes that the people reading her essay know what marriage entails and the typical roles of each partner. Judy Brady writes with the purpose of critiquing the extensive expectations set upon women. Equally important, she hopes her audience, the married men and women, will be enlightened and the women will no longer act as slaves in their own homes, while the men will recognize the impracticality of their expectations. This audience will have prior experience of these roles as they are a part of daily life. …show more content…
The phrase “I want a wife” is consistently repeated throughout the essay, which brings the fact that women are being seen as a commodity to the audience’s attention. Consistent use of “I want a wife” causes the reader to ponder the prolific stereotypes of women and what is expected of them. The repetition of the word “wife” is also significant as it shows what the meaning of a wife has become due to existing gender roles. The word “wife” had the connotations of a person who is of service to their husband. Knowing her audience consists of males, she repeats “wife” many times to beg the question: are wives expected to do too much? Women are seen as readily available for making other’s lives easier by doing the thankless tasks no one else wants to do. The author intends to bring up angry or remorseful feelings from her
Brady forms her essay while keeping her audience in mind. She recognizes that the people reading her essay know what marriage entails and the typical roles of each partner. Judy Brady writes with the purpose of critiquing the extensive expectations set upon women. Equally important, she hopes her audience, the married men and women, will be enlightened and the women will no longer act as slaves in their own homes, while the men will recognize the impracticality of their expectations. This audience will have prior experience of these roles as they are a part of daily life. …show more content…
The phrase “I want a wife” is consistently repeated throughout the essay, which brings the fact that women are being seen as a commodity to the audience’s attention. Consistent use of “I want a wife” causes the reader to ponder the prolific stereotypes of women and what is expected of them. The repetition of the word “wife” is also significant as it shows what the meaning of a wife has become due to existing gender roles. The word “wife” had the connotations of a person who is of service to their husband. Knowing her audience consists of males, she repeats “wife” many times to beg the question: are wives expected to do too much? Women are seen as readily available for making other’s lives easier by doing the thankless tasks no one else wants to do. The author intends to bring up angry or remorseful feelings from her