I think that there is no thesis from the beginning of the essay. There is an implied thesis of the author wants a wife.
2. Throughout the essay, Brady repeats the words “I want a wife.” What is the effect of this repetition?
The effect of the repetition is that Brady wants a wife. The repetition of the “I want a wife” is important because Brady wants someone to help her do all the things that Brady has set to do in her life.
3. Brady never uses the personal pronouns he or she to refer to the wife she defines. Why not?
She does not use the personal pronouns he or she to refer to the wife she defines because Brady is saying that she is something is a woman should do. And using “wife” implies something or someone instead of he or she.
4. Do you think Brady really wants the kind of wife she describes—does this ideal spouse actually exist? Explain why you think Brady wrote this essay.
I think that Brady does not want a wife she describes. I do not think that this ideal spouse exists. It only exists in a perfect world. And let’s face it, our world is not perfect. Brady wrote this essay because she needed to get the point across that this is everyone’s hopes of finding a wife that will do all of this for you, but that is not the case.
5. How does Brady define what it means to be a “wife”? How does she organize the many services a wife provides her husband and family? What do you think of Brady’s characterization of a wife and her responsibilities? How do you think she wants her readers to respond to this characterization? Why?
Brady defines being a wife as the stereotypical housewife. That the wife has everything done on time and how the wife takes care of the family. She organizes the many services a wife provided her husband and family by explaining how a person would want a wife to do all of the things such as take care of the kids, and take care of the appointments and to take care of his appointments and to do everything. Brady’s characterization of a wife and her responsibilities are unrealistic. There is not enough time in the day to have all of this accomplished. Also we do not live in a perfect world. A person has to learn each others flaws in order to know if they would make a good wife or not. I think that Brady wants her readers to either agree with her or strongly disagree. I do not think a wife would want to have the entire responsibility of everything that Brady has said in this piece.
6. Write a letter to Brady responding to “I Want a Wife.” Let her know what you admire or don’t admire about the essay and the extent to which you consider it effective and/or persuasive.
Dear Brady,
I believe that everything you have said in this essay is incorrect. A wife should not have to do all of the things described in essay. These are all unrealistic things for a wife to do. This could happen if we lived in a perfect world, but sadly we do not live in a perfect world and we do not have this mentality about wives anymore. In this economy most families need two incomes to support the family. I do not believe that a wife with a fulltime job and to maintain everything that you have wanted the wife to do. Someone has a lot of nerve to ask a mother of two, a fulltime worker to take care of everything for the household. There are some things that are realistic in this essay. The part of the wife making the arrangements for the babysitter and making appointments, yes that is something that a wife could still do. But doing the laundry for four people and not having any help doing it, or making dinner and keeping the house clean? That can take more than one person to do. If you would have said “I want a wife who would help with these things… etc.” I would have agreed. But I do not agree. A wife should not have to do everything in the household.
I believe that this essay is effective because it shows how much our society has changed. Also, it puts into perspective of other people of why we have these stereotypical assumptions of wives. I do think that wives have some stereotypical things about them, like they should cook and clean, but they should not have to do it by themselves with no help.
Sincerely,
Graham Nadler
7. Write your own piece entitled “I Want a/an X.” You can use Brady’s essay as a model, and in the process, imitate some of her stylistic techniques. Or, alternatively, write an essay about the role of a “wife” in the early twenty-first century, explaining how a wife’s responsibilities complement and are complemented by those of a spouse.
The role of a wife in the twenty-first century is very different that it was 100 years ago. A wife might now have a full time job and still continue to take care of the family; but now a days it might be very weird to have a stay at home wife. There might even be a case where the wife is the “bread winner” of the family while the husband is the caretaker of the children. Also a difference from 100 years ago the wife was expected to do everything in the house. In my household the wife and the husband share parts. Just the other day my mother had to work late. My father and I made dinner instead of her coming home to start dinner at a late hour. Also, another thing that stands out to me that has changed is a wife and a husband share equal responsibilities. If a child gets sick sometimes the husband will stay home from his full time job while the wife will go to work her full time job. A husband might do all the cleaning in the house or atleast help the wife do the cleaning. A husband will help with the laundry and also help fold the clothes that come out of the dryer. The husband might run an errand for the wife while she is doing something else. My father does almost all of these things for my mother to help her out. The difference from 100 years ago to now, is that the wife has someone to help the wife do the things that the wife does every single day. The wife has help making the dinner and preparing for the day. The wife now has help with the bills that need to be paid. The wife now has help with the laundry, the soccer practice drop offs and pick ups, the cleaning of the house. Things have changed drastically since the idea of a wife is not what it used to be. What Brady had said in her essay are unrealistic things for a wife to do now a days and I do not know one wife that does all of those things.
