Why I Still Want A Wife By Judy Brady

In her essay titled “Why I [Still] Want a Wife”, Judy Brady argues that wives are automatically assigned the role of primary care taker and home maker in a traditional marriage. Brady states that in her marriage she is expected to earn an income while her husband pursues a higher education, she is expected to perform all parental duties exclusively, tend to all housework, tend to her husband’s sexual needs and desires with no regard to her own, and be a hostess all while keeping quiet and doing all of the above pleasantly. Brady is essentially telling her readers that she doesn’t like being a wife because being a wife comes along with exploitation. In her style of writing, Brady appears to be hostile, bitter, and her entire piece comes across …show more content…
She uses that line as her thesis repetitively to deliver her main point which is that she would like for someone to do all of the things that are expected of her. She states that she would like to have someone support her in many different aspects while she pursues a higher education. Brady says that she would like someone to tend to the children’s needs as well as hers. She would like for someone to meet her physical and emotional needs without bothering her with their needs. Brady informs her reads that she would like someone to cook, clean and be a pleasant host when required. She ends her essay with her final desire which is freedom from her previous marriage including the children should she find someone new and request a divorce. While making her argument, Brady presents the reader with a bitter, one sided and seemingly resentful account of the conditions of her marriage. She often uses sarcasm to further prove points of her essay. Brady is repetitive through her entire piece while writing from a first person perspective and using the word I countless times to further make a statement. She uses these strategies collectively to present her …show more content…
In her first paragraph, Brady discusses a male friend of hers who recently divorced. While speaking of him, she states “He had one child; who is, of course, with his ex-wife” (235). The manner in which Brady phrases this makes it sound common for men to no longer be involved with their children after the parents separate. Of course, there are instances of fathers walking away from their children, however I’d like to argue that would be an exception as opposed to normal. Many men continue to be a productive part of their children’s lives after divorce and, there are many instances of the father taking primary custody of the