Rhetorical Analysis of I Want a Wife

Essay by hfvira06High School, 11th gradeA+, October 2004

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Rhetorical Analysis of I Want a Wife

Exigence: Judy Brady writes in her article about the demands that are required from women. She stresses the point that the roles of women are unfair to the role of men. Also, that there is a distinct difference, inequality, between the roles of men and women. She writes about this because she is tired of the feeling inferiority to men and that the work that women undertake is overlooked. She illustrates her point by listing the numerous tasks that are commonly expected from women. "I want a wife who will keep my clothes clean, ironed, mended, replaced when need be, and who will see to it that my personal things are kept in their proper place so that I can find what I need the minute I need it (p.274)." After listing the numerous outrageous tasks, she ends the article with an emotional statement, "My God, who wouldn't want a wife? (p.275)"

Audience: Clearly Judy Brady is writing to married men and women. This can be inferred because the article is about expectations of a wife in a marriage. But not only does she write for married couples, she also writes to men and women in general. She is trying to get out to the public that these expectations and these stereotypes of roles of women, should stop. This goes back to her exigence, which is the unfairness of roles of women.

Purpose: Why should people read and act upon her statements? With her arguments, she is trying to say, "All women stop! You don't have to act this way (p.275)." She wants women to stop immediately acting as 'slaves.' Her constant phrase "I want a wife to..." rattles up emotions of readers, which in turn, might encourage people to take...