"I want a wife..." Questions

1. Does this essay have an explicitly stated thesis? If so, what is it? If you believe the thesis is implied, paraphrase it in your own words.

The thesis is about how the author believes that men want the perfect wife and want no responsibility to go with it. a wife that takes care of everything for him and takes all responsibility for the husbands needs and her own.


2. Throughout the essay, Brady repeats the words “I want a wife.” What is the effect of this repetition?

The effect of this repetition is that it shows how in the late 1900's a wife was thought of as more of a housekeeper, lover, and nanny than a true companion and i believe that she repeats the phrase "i want a wife" to personify the male thinking of how a wife should be and it sheds light on all the men who didn't think of their wife as a companion, rather thought of a wife as a personal secretary or nanny.

3. Brady never uses the personal pronouns he or she to refer to the wife she defines. Why not?

she doesn't use the pronoun "she" to explain what a wife should do because its a double meaning as to what a husband should do to help out to. She wants to get across that a wife or "she" shouldn't be the one to have to do everything.

4. Do you think Brady really wants the kind of wife she describes—does this ideal spouse actually exist? Explain why you think Brady wrote this essay.

I Think she wrote this essay to personify male thinking of how a wife should encompass all the things men used to think a woman should do for him, and some that still do. She wrote this satirical piece to show the true senselessness of how much women were expected to do and show just how much they were wanted to do in day to day life. Again acting as more of a nanny, housekeeper, and personal secretary (whatever that may encompass) and nothing like an actual loved equal.

5. How does Brady define what it means to be a “wife”? How does she organize the many services a wife provides her husband and family? What do you think of Brady’s characterization of a wife and her responsibilities? How do you think she wants her readers to respond to this characterization? Why?

Brady defines a wife as basically a servant to men and how they personally thought a wife should do everything for them. She organises the services a wife provides for a husband in order of work to social servitude to personal servitude and everything else he shouldn't have to do on his own. i think that the way Brady characterises a wife makes her seem like an actual slave to her husband and a servant to his friends and his responsibility. I Believe she wants people to see that the way men think of women acts similar to the chains of dis empowerment women have felt for centuries. She wants to show how the amount of work a woman is expected to do and the freedom she is expected to give up and the freedom that men thought they should have is absurd. She phrases it this was to get across just how truly sexist the general thinking of a woman used to be and still is in some places.

6. Write a letter to Brady responding to “I Want a Wife.” Let her know what you admire or don’t admire about the essay and the extent to which you consider it effective and/or persuasive.

Dear Judy Brady (Syfers),

I loved your essay of "I want a wife." The satire of the whole piece really portrays how women are thought of as more of servants than an equal and a companion. I love the use of actions used to describe how the original thinking of i wife really was.

This essay was really interesting to read and i'm glad you wrote this. i was really excited that someone actually brought all this to light in a way thats obviously satirical and fun to read yet it still made a point and a great one at that. It was fun to read and interpret.

7. Write your own piece entitled “I Want a/an X.” You can use Brady’s essay as a model, and in the process, imitate some of her stylistic techniques. Or, alternatively, write an essay about the role of a “wife” in the early twenty-first century, explaining how a wife’s responsibilities complement and are complemented by those of a spouse.

I belong to that classification of people known as wives. I am A Wife. (brady)
Not too long ago a female friend of mine appeared on the scene fresh from a recent divorce. (brady) The kids were with her, of course, but while we were talking over coffee, we started to dream up the perfect husband.
I want a husband that drinks beer all day. I want a husband that comes home late smelling like beer after a hard days work. I want a husband that works so hard every day he comes home and falls immediately to sleep. I want a husband that sleeps all day during the weekends. I want a husband that will spend every weekend night at a friends house to play poker all night. I want a husband that thinks about other women, and constantly flirts with other women around him. I want a husband that dreams of encounters with other women. I want a husband that will spend free time in the garage building projects to improve the home for. I want a husband that mows the lawn every week. I want a husband that will collect every power tool from home improvement stores. I want a husband that will pile clothing on the floor until the floor isn't visible. I want a husband that will spend all day on Sunday's watching football and screaming at the television. I want a husband that forgets anniversaries, birthdays, and plans. I want a husband that will teach future generations of husbands to act like a husband should act.