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Essay / Rhetorical Analysis of Why I Want a Wife by Judy Brady
Judy Brady is a well-known feminist and activist of the 90s. She is also a well-known writer and has received publicity for her most influential essay on women and their role as wives in “Why I Want a Wife”. She wrote this essay to give strength to her fellow activists in their demonstration of feminism. She also tried to show the world how women are viewed. Although Judy's essay discusses a long list of women's duties as a wife, the way she organizes it through ethos, pathos and logos to develop her argument, the use of rhetorical devices such as irony, anaphora and his simple way of explaining main ideas. to its readers, made a successful attempt of it. Judy has organized her essay in such a way that readers understand what she is willing to say. After listing a woman's "jobs" as a wife and mother, Judy poses this question to readers to discuss what she said. Here she shows that everyone needs a wife as a working instrument, who cooks, takes care, satisfies the hunger of her husband's sexual needs and is also replaceable. This ending is extremely emotional and pathetic and allows readers to conclude that it is false. She wants readers, whoever they are, old, young, men and especially women, to understand that this attitude towards women as a whole is wrong and needs to be changed. She also encourages readers to take action against this treatment of women and also wants husbands to stop treating their wives unfairly, including their attitude of demanding too much from their wives. She also tried to encourage women who are unaware of such activities and are totally against their husband's treatment, considering it a part of traditional "housewifery". The author also wants people, especially women, to get angry and emotional, with this. She made her essay more manly. As a wife, she suffers from the same status as another woman, but Judy, after meeting her friend, who wanted a new wife to replace his old one, decided sarcastically to be like a man and ask for a wife . who is ready to be a “wife” to her. Moreover, the title also shows the same idea. A new reader, like me, thought the author was a man who cared for the woman of his dreams. All new readers, I believe, also feel the same awareness about this essay, but Judy surprised me, coming across as a wife and mother in the first paragraph, and then as a man ready to find himself a " wife” for his needs. . She also made her essay interesting by using anaphora or repeating the phrase “I want a wife.” This repetition of “I want” is presented as a strong word, which shows how she compares herself to her imaginary wife. It gives a sense of belonging to every woman. Whoever reads the essay will represent them there. She also uses this to further explain the selfishness of a husband, who demands a wife for his physical and sexual needs. The phage “I want a woman for…” is described as a selfish word by men regarding the desire of a woman, just like her friend in the world.