I Want A Wife

In a typical married relationship, there is a husband and a wife. The husband’s role is to work and provide for the family while the wife’s role is to stay at home, do chores, and take care of the kids. With this dynamic, the husband and wife are two halves of the same whole. This means they are equal, right? Well in 1972, Judy Brady writes an article “Why I Want a Wife” which details why she also wants a wife. However, the article’s message is not what it claims; it has this underlying theme that the women are doing much more than the husband but is not treated as equals. In fact, Brady conveys this message to her readers using ethos, pathos, and logos.
Ethos is defined as a way for the speaker to convince the audience through credibility, respect, authority, and experience. An example of ethos being used is in the beginning. The first paragraph states, “I belong to that
The article’s tone is sarcasm. This is definitely evident in the last statement: “My God, who wouldn’t want a wife?” (230). If someone does not notice that tone the first time around, then the person might have thought that Brady was serious. However, the examples Brady written are exaggerated and contradictory for it to be serious. One of the contradictions is in this statement: “I want a wife who will not bother me with rambling complaints… But I want a wife who will listen to me…” (229). That itself contradicts the fact the wife and husband are supposed to listen to each other. The example of exaggeration is the long list of chores that a wife is expected to do like “work and send me to school,” “take care of my children,” and “keep track of the children’s doctor and dentist appointments” (229). “Why I Want a Wife” is ridiculous because the wife is doing much more than the husband, and that is what Brady is trying to make the audience