I Want a Wife, written by Judy Brady, is an perceptive piece written in order to bring a large problem down to a comical level. With her use of hyperbole, she is able to paint a picture of what a man is looking for in a wife, largely from a feminist point of view. Brady exaggerates the extents of which a man requires certain things from his wife. Speaking only of the most extreme of circumstances and never allowing time for the inclusion of a concession. The author, however, seems to realize this and plays out the work in a mostly humorous, however introspective, way of writing. I Want a Wife utilizes the many stereotypes placed on wives throughout time. The wife needs to clean for the husband, the wife needs to cook for the husband, the wife needs to take care of the kids for the husband, everything the wife does is because of the husband. The wife never seems to do anything because she may want to. This gives the audience the impression that a man only wants a wife that will do things for him, never for herself.
Brady also understates how much men appreciate their wives. She explains how men just expect certain things and aren’t grateful for how much wives work. The author seems to think that men are only looking for some twisted form of slavery when finding love and eventually a wife.
The argument presented in the essay is somewhat weak when looking at it with a “critical eye”. Brady loses her argument’s strength when she neglects to include either logos or significant ethos. Logos is nowhere to be found in the essay which weakens from an analytical standpoint, but for this type of argument, the omission of statistics or facts can be overlooked. However, the argument clearly lacks in ethos. If the essay was written from the point of view of how the wife feels or what the wife wants then there would be a significant amount of ethos. However, Brady’s work is written from the point of view external of the wife. It can be assumed that this essay is being written by Brady under the assumption that this is what a man looks for in a wife. Seeing as Brady is not literally looking for a wife, she has little ethos to speak from. Brady’s entire argument is based in pathos. She relies on her audience feeling empathy towards these “slave women” that work day after day for their terrible husbands that don’t appreciate them.
As this was written in 1971, there has been monumental change in gender roles from then to now. However, issues do still remain but mostly not with the family unit. Gender roles in family units have all but been shattered in recent years. Women are working and living their dreams, rather than their husband’s, more than ever. The notion of comparing today’s society to one back in 1971 is insane, to say the least. More things have changed in society than people could have ever imagined back then. While the issue is still relevant, it is not relatable to Brady’s work.
Brady also understates how much men appreciate their wives. She explains how men just expect certain things and aren’t grateful for how much wives work. The author seems to think that men are only looking for some twisted form of slavery when finding love and eventually a wife.
The argument presented in the essay is somewhat weak when looking at it with a “critical eye”. Brady loses her argument’s strength when she neglects to include either logos or significant ethos. Logos is nowhere to be found in the essay which weakens from an analytical standpoint, but for this type of argument, the omission of statistics or facts can be overlooked. However, the argument clearly lacks in ethos. If the essay was written from the point of view of how the wife feels or what the wife wants then there would be a significant amount of ethos. However, Brady’s work is written from the point of view external of the wife. It can be assumed that this essay is being written by Brady under the assumption that this is what a man looks for in a wife. Seeing as Brady is not literally looking for a wife, she has little ethos to speak from. Brady’s entire argument is based in pathos. She relies on her audience feeling empathy towards these “slave women” that work day after day for their terrible husbands that don’t appreciate them.
As this was written in 1971, there has been monumental change in gender roles from then to now. However, issues do still remain but mostly not with the family unit. Gender roles in family units have all but been shattered in recent years. Women are working and living their dreams, rather than their husband’s, more than ever. The notion of comparing today’s society to one back in 1971 is insane, to say the least. More things have changed in society than people could have ever imagined back then. While the issue is still relevant, it is not relatable to Brady’s work.
While I understand that this seems like an argumentative piece, it isn't. It is more of a personal essay and/or piece of satire. Thus, the logos that you seek is likely not going to appear as logos appeals to logical thought. On the other hand, speaking from personal experience could be deemed logos and therefore she did support it logically.
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