Rhetorical Analysis Of Why I Want A Wife

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Perla Aceves Professor Sae Na Hong English 122 February 26, 2015 Why You Shouldn’t Become a Wife Judy Brady’s, “Why I Want a Wife,” is effective in communicating the stereotypes of roles of women and how husbands perceive a perfect soul mate, while demonstrating how demanding society has conditioned women to be. Brady’s definition of a wife takes on the responsibilities of both a husband and wife in an unfair matter. Her satirical style, use of repetition, and use of pathos and ethos grabs the attention of the audience in a creative, and powerful way. The author’s use of repetition of the demanding phrase, “I want a wife who…,” clearly demonstrates the endless list of expectations a typical wife has in an unrealistic way. Brady writes, “I want a wife who will not bother me with rambling complaints about a wife’s duties. But I want a wife who will listen to me…” (276). Basically, Brady is…show more content…
This sarcasm works because she expresses what needy and sexist husbands look for in a wife. She states, “Not too long ago a male friend of mine appeared on the scene fresh from a recent divorce…He is looking for another wife” (275). The husband should be grieving over the divorce, but instead he is looking for a better wife, as if she was easily replaceable. People do not replace wives; we replace products, like toothbrushes. Brady uses this satirical style to explain a wife is as if she was a product. She uses repetition to exploit the selfishness of husbands who think wives need to do everything for them. Brady herself writes, “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 a rest and change of scene” (276). It seems as though the husband wants a slave to work all the time, and does not take into consideration that their on vacation and it should be a time for everyone to
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    Writing using pathos helps the reader connect with the authors feelings, along with creating sympathy. In the classic short essay, “Why I Want A Wife,” Judy Brady connects with the reader, which at the time was the readers of Ms. Magazine in 1972. Brady wants the wives of this time period to feel her pain. She easily connects with the readers when she states that she is a wife herself. Using the emotional appeal of pathos to reach out to her audience, Judy Brady sways her readers into feeling emotions

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