Being a wife, is what a lot of women hope to be to someone they love. Is being a wife mean to have partnership to someone you would call you husband? It is a title for the love each of you and your partner share? What does exactly being a wife mean? It seems like in today's age and even back in the days wives are the women who are modern-day slaves to their husbands and households. Women are expected to do almost everything in the house, from tend to the kids, their husbands, the house, and even some maintain a fulltime job. In a writing by Judy Brady called "I want a wife" she discloses the impractical duties that women are expected of as a wife. To strengthen her view point she uses sarcasms in her tone, exaggeration in her view of what wives …show more content…
In her essay she uses hyperbole, which is exaggerating a certain subject or matter, which is what Brandy does when she describes the duties of an expected wife. For example, in paragraph 5 one of these areas is seen when Brady states "And I want a wife who will type my papers for me when I have written them." In that quote Brady's implies that duty is nonetheless one of a wife, but one as a person of service. So hyperbole strengthens Brady's view on the duty, basically implying that the wives are expected to do everything mind as well, have their duties includes tasks not usually performed by wives. Also, another example where this is seen is when Brady states. "When I meet people at school that I like and want to entertain, I want a wife who will have the house clean, will prepare a special meal, serve it to me and my friends, and not interrupt when I talk about that things that interest me and my friends." (231) This quote states that the wife isn't seen as nostalgic partner who would enjoy actives like this with their husbands, but as a maid of some sort who will prepare and cater to him and his friends. When Brady uses hyperbole to describe the duties of an ideal wife, I think she wants the audience to see that a wife is sentimental partner that is there to love, support, and help her husband. She is not a woman who does everything that a …show more content…
At the end of her writing, she kind of exaggerates and states, "My God, who wouldn't want a wife?" (232). Now, I don't think that Judy Brady really wants a wife, but by her using that in a sarcastic way she is implying that of course anyone would want someone to have them help with all their personal tasks, so they don't have to do anything. Someone who's "duties" is to do all these things and not complain, "I want a wife who will not bother me with rambling questions about a wife's duties" (Brady 231). Brady portrays the husband as someone who doesn't do anything but expects a lot, so he can have fun and maintain a social life. Even though Brady seems to be laughing at the idea of what's expected from a wife, with all the circumstances and standards that she addressed in her writing, the question isn't who wouldn't want a wife, but the real question is who would want to be
This source provided the unique perspective of what was thought to be the perfect household, with a man who worked and a wife who cooked and cleaned. However, it also showed how a woman could also do what a man can do, and in some cases they could do it even better. This work is appropriate to use in this essay because it shows how men talked down to their wives as if they were children. This work shows the gradual progression of woman equality and how a woman is able to make her own decisions without her husband’s input.
In the short story ?Why I want a wife? by Judy Brady, she goes into detail what being a wife is like. The tedious details of day to day activities, the strain and hard work of being a ?good wife?, and the unappreciated service a wife must perform to be accepted by her husband. This story made me feel like, the author
“Hints to Young Wives,” is about how women during that time act to their husbands. The women did any and everything for their husbands. In “Hints to Young Wives,” Fern challenges other authors’ contentions, which encourages young wives to spoil their husbands. According to Fern, the vast majority of spoiled men become “sick of the sight” of their wives. One may ask, why would she say that? In that time, woman assumed that doing such things can make them an Ideal wife. Fanny Fern had a different views about “Ideal Wife”. Here is where I believe that Fanny Fern and Sojourner Truth would have similar views. The ideal wife Fern meant was an independent woman that can do things well without her husband. She advises her readers that instead of pampering the husband, a wife should fill whatever place to which her husband’s actions appoint her. Like Sojourner Truth, this could also be referenced back to religion and the bible because many Christians believe that men should be the head of the household/provider and that women should take on roles that do not weigh as much while catering to her husband. Although the bible does not explicitly tell him to appoint her role, it could be assumed based on what the bible says a man/husband should be. If he treats her like an “upper servant or housekeeper,”
He is explaining how a wife’s life is that of her husband. No matter what condition or temperament her husband comes home in, she must tend to his every need no questions asked. This is a very unfair way for women to live their lives seeing as she has hardly anything in her life that is her own.
Brady recognizes how much work women who are wives truly have to do. Brady highlights the fact that, “I want a wife who will work and send me to school.” This illustrates that the wife’s needs will come last. Since her husband requests to go to work, the wife is expected to get a job to support the family as well as take care of everything else. Instead of the husband assisting at home, with the housework and taking care of the kids, since he is not working anymore, the wife is still expected to do it. Ever since women were just little girls, they have been taught that it is
Betty Friedan describes that after World War II, becoming the esteemed housewife was ultimate goal of most women. In the article Friedan states, “By the end of the nineteen fifties, the average marriage age of women in America dropped to 20, and was still dropping into the teens.” (Friedan, p. 359). Describing even further how important getting married was at the time she says, “A century earlier, women had fought for higher education, now girls went to college to get a husband.” (p. 359).The housewife status was seen as a true feminine fulfillment and considered a man’s equal. “As a housewife and a mother, she was respected as a full and equal partner to man in this world; she had everything that women ever dreamed of.” (p. 359).
Over the years, the roles of women have drastically changed. They have been trapped, dominated, and enslaved by their marriage. Women have slowly evolved into individuals that have rights and can stand on their own. They myth that women are only meant to be housewives has been changed. However, this change did not happen overnight, it took years to happen. The patriarchal society ruled in every household in earlier times and I believe had a major effect on the wives of the families. “The Story of an Hour”, “The Yellow Wallpaper”, and Trifles all show how women felt obligated to stay with their husbands despite the fact they were unhappy with them
Throughout the book, many of the wives note how they wish that they were able to pursue their goals and dreams, but were unable to due to the fact that they had responsibilities as a wife. I think that by putting themselves in a position where they could be viewed as undeserving upper class members who did not work, it not created a dependency to their husbands financially, it portrayed them as women incapable of supporting themselves or their desires in life. “Upper-class women, like other women, experience dissatisfaction with their role as wives–with its expected mode of accommodation, unequal voice in family decisions, and sole responsibility for home and family”
A house is not a home if no one lives there. During the nineteenth century, the same could be said about a woman concerning her role within both society and marriage. The ideology of the Cult of Domesticity, especially prevalent during the late 1800’s, emphasized the notion that a woman’s role falls within the domestic sphere and that females must act in submission to males. One of the expected jobs of a woman included bearing children, despite the fact that new mothers frequently experienced post-partum depression. If a woman were sterile, her purposefulness diminished. While the Cult of Domesticity intended to create obliging and competent wives, women frequently reported feeling trapped or imprisoned within the home and within societal expectations put forward by husbands, fathers, and brothers.
In the early 1900’s, around the time the story takes place; women were expected to be care takers of the home, to be clean, well dressed and mannered. All of these
In May 1955, Housekeeping Monthly published an article titled The Good Wife’s Guide. This article provided eighteen tips for women; what they should be performing in the home and how to keep their husbands happy. “Have dinner ready”, “Clear away clutter”, and “Don’t ask him questions about his actions…” are just three of the eighteen instructions. (Housekeeping Monthly) One reason this article could have been so readily accepted, was due to the simplicity of life in that era. Women rarely voiced their opinions or challenged the gender norms. Therefore, the author’s intent could have been, “let’s give women tips on how to make their husbands happier and keep the households in order”. However, taking into consideration the gender norm of the era and contrasting it to the twenty-first century certainly brings up a host of issues when taking into consideration that the majority of today’s families are dual income earners.
...ng it is not something she wants to be. This stereotypic role will probably continue to occur unless the stereotype of what a wife should be takes on yet another change. Hopefully one day an educated, vivacious, well-spoken, working, woman will become the tradition of what a wife epitomizes.
“…while I was ironing one evening, it suddenly occurred to me that I, would like to have a wife. Why do I want a wife? (Brady)”
In the reading’s of “Why I Want a Wife” by Judy Brady, (Essay #6) the author gives details on the reasons she would love to have a wife by her side. She gives explicit encounters on the labor detail job of a woman, from cooking, to cleaning, to ironing, to sexual interactions. Now, I do believe that as a wife, there are specifics that are wanted in a marriage, but nothing stated as a demand.
She explains how wife's will do all the housework,take care of the children,Manage your food and doctor's visits. That having a wife allows one to pursue their own dreams and ideals because she will handle all the responsibilities. That wife's will put you and your children above anything else in the world even if it means they lose time from their job but that she will not lose her job. Basically going on and making this article kinda like a list of all the responsibilities that wives were expected to take care of and to do them well while trying to juggle their own lives in the mix.