Rhetorical Analysis Of I Want A Wife

“I Want a Wife” Rhetorical Analysis
In an essay by Judy Brady, the author asserts that husbands (men) expects their wives to cater to their every need; therefore, she too wants a wife to do the same for her. Brady supports her claim first by explaining how a wife should keep track of household duties; second, by explaining how the wife should take care of physical needs; and third by explaining how a wife must satisfy sexual needs. Brady’s purpose is to illuminate the hardships of the perfect wife in order to raise consciousness for women's equality and create social change in American society. Based on her purposeful use of anaphora, catalogue, and pathos, Brady is writing for the feminist community of 1972 so that they may speed the word

First, she uses anaphora to support her claim. “I want a wife who will take care of my physical needs. I want a wife who will keep my house clean.” When reading this it makes the reader think about the high expectations the husband has for his wife. It also shows a woman what the man wants his wife to do. Second, Brady uses catalogue when she is ranting about what the wife is responsible for, “I want a wife who will plan the menus, do the necessary grocery shopping, prepare the meals, serve them pleasantly, and then do the cleaning up while I do my studying.” Brady shows in these sentences what a wife must do just for the meals. This is suppose to make the reader sympathize with the wife. Finally, she uses pathos, “I want a wife who will not bother me with rambling complaints about a wife’s duties. But I want a wife who will listen to me when I feel the need to explain a rather difficult point I have come across in my course of studies.” When reading these sentences it appeals to the female readers anger or irritation because a wife has to listen to the man’s ranting while she must be quiet as a mouse, while the husband can be a dog loud and