Culture within
Judy Brady's "I Want a Wife"
Meaning
Language
- During the 60s the women always stayed home and took care of the house hold
- Called a "homemaker"
- Not considered a real job
- However, with the turn of the century, society was more willing for women to work in order to make a little dough, (70s culture, 2012).
- This meant that women were forced to pass off some of the more "housewife" duties
Context within
Judy Brady's "I Want a Wife"
- The culture of the 60s and 70s housewife highlights the importance of this text
- Women were being over worked with very little credit
- The US census asked if anyone else other than the head of house hold worked and strictly said, "Do not count housework," (Edelstein, 2013)
- This created the air that this message, of Judy Brady, needed to be heard
- Women needed to feel that they were not alone
Meaning
Language
- This shift is evident in the text
- Published in 1972 (right after the turn of the century
"My wife must arrange to lose time at work and not lose the job. It may mean a small cut in my wife's income from time to time, but I guess I can tolerate that. Needless to say, my wife will arrange and pay for the care of the children while my wife is working," (Paragraph 3).
- Ms. Magazine was a notoriously feminist magazine filled with well written articles
- Not many feminist opinions wanted to be heard
- Therefore, the views must have been educated and well written in order to be heard
- This influences the reception of the text
- The 60s and 70s were the beginning of an age of protest for feminists, (The 1960s-70s American Feminist Movement, n.d.).
- Judy Brady was raised in a feminist household
- This influences the magazine article to have a meaning that was beyond surface level
- As a feminist, Judy Brady would not believe in the things that she was writing
- This is apparent through the first two paragraphs of the text:
Meaning within
Judy Brady's "I Want a Wife"
Paragraphs one and two of the text
I belong to that classification of people known as wives. I am A Wife. And, not altogether incidentally, I am a mother.
Not too long ago a male friend of mine appeared on the scene fresh from a recent divorce. He had one child, who is, of course, with his ex-wife. He is looking for another wife. As I thought about him while I was ironing one evening, it suddenly occurred to me that I, too, would like to have a wife. Why do I want a wife?
Brady, 1972 (paragraphs 1 and 2)
The formal writing style and the use of satire throughout this piece greatly influences the meaning
Style
Technique
Structure
- The formal style writing of this piece allows for the reader to focus on the satire that is included
- Judy Brady's background allows for the reader to completely strike out the idea that the meaning of this piece is strictly literal
- Raised in a feminist household
- Would not identify with these feelings
- "...I want a wife who understands that my sexual needs may entail more than strict adherence to monogamy. I must, after all, be able to relate to people as fully as possible," (Brady,1972(Paragraph 7)).
- Structured very much like an essay
- Each "body" paragraph starts with "I want a wife who.."
- This is typical of conventions throughout the style of both essays and magazine articles such as this piece
- This highlights the content of the piece instead of distracting from it
- Reader is able to focus on other more important parts of the piece like content and the use of satire as discussed in "culture" and "context"
- Repetition is used to draw attention to the never ending list of things that a wife must do
- This adds to the meaning of the text due to its link to the purpose
- The purpose was to highlight the fact that each housewife was not alone in the feeling of being overwhelmed and under-appreciated
- "I want a wife who will take care of my physical needs. I want a wife who will keep my house clean. A wife who will pick up after my children, a wife who will pick up after me," (Brady, 1972(Paragraph 4)).
Purpose
Audience
- The meaning of this article was shaped by its purpose and language
- The use of repetition highlights the fact that there were a plethora of things that a housewife was responsible for
- This article was created in order to sympathize with housewives, validating their work and showing them that they were not the only housewife that thought that they were overworked and under-appreciated
- This came from the perspective of a house wife
- "I belong to that classification of people known as wives. I am A Wife," (Brady, 1972(Paragraph 1)).
- The audience of this text is proven through it's publication through Ms. Magazine
- A quote about Ms. Magazine from New York magazine reads as the following: "Forty years ago, a group of feminists, lead by Gloria Steinman, did the unthinkable: they started a magazine for women, published by women..." (Progrebin, 2011).
- This was in a time that most women's magazine were run with a male editor-in-chief with superficial topics such as makeup and cooking recipes, (Pogrebin, 2011).
- Women that read Ms. Magazines were typically housewives that classified themselves as feminists.
- These women, during the later years (the 70s) would typically be the women that were part of the workforce
Learning Outcome
Demonstrate an awareness of how language and meaning affect culture and context
Resources
Language Within
Judy Brady's "I Want a Wife"
Characteristics of this piece affect the language and overall meaning of the text.
Vocabulary and Language
Technique
- Language throughout is very serious
- "I want a wife who will take care of the details of my social life. When my wife and I are invited out by my friends, I want a wife who will take care of the baby-sitting arrangements,"(Brady, 1972 (Paragraph 6)).
- When pulled out of the context of the piece, the satire is not evident and there is a sense of formality.
- The article, as a whole, has a lot of repetition of the phrase, "I want a wife so/ that.."
- This sticks in the readers head and maintains the idea that there is so much that a wife is supposed to do.
- "I want a wife who will not demand sexual attention when I am not in the mood for it. I want a wife who assumes the complete responsibility for birth control, because I do not want more children," (Brady, 1972(Paragraph 7)).
- The article also does not assume the responsibility for explaining the wife's thoughts, as it was published in a feminist magazine.
- It would have been redundant for the readers to read about their own thoughts and feelings about the subject
- It was deemed unnecessary
- This formality is typically indicative of the chosen production type of a magazine article, as these articles are typically informative and therefore are taken from an educational or entertainment stand point
- A large publication is proof read a lot and goes through many hands that leads to a formal writing style
- The typical conventions also adhere:
- Paragraphs are structured and ordered by their subject
- Each paragraph has its own sub topic
- The piece as a whole is cohesive and flows from topic to topic fluidly
What did I do?
Brady, Judy. (January 1972). I Want a Wife. Ms., 1.
Edelstein, Sally. (4 March 2013). Occupation: 1960s Housewife. Envisioning the American Dream. Retrieved 6 March 2015 from http://envisioningtheamericandream.com/2013/03/04/occupation-1960-housewife/
The 1960s-70s American Feminist Movement: Breaking Down Barriers for Women. (N.d.). Ulgu: Tavaana. Retrieved 6 March 2015 from https://tavaana.org/en/content/1960s-70s-american-feminist-movement-breaking-down-barriers-women
Pogrebin, Abigail. (30 October 2011). How do you spell Ms.? An Oral History of Ms. Magazine. New York Magazine. New York Media. Retreived 6 March 2015 from http://nymag.com/news/features/ms-magazine-2011-11/
70s Culture. (2012). Classic 70s: Remembering the 70s. Retrieved 6 March 2015 from http://classic70s.com/70s-culture.html
Style
Structure
- The writing style lacks emotion and could be deemed objective
- This is highlights the satire (addressed later)
- "I want a wife who will not bother me with rambling complaints about a wife's duties," (Brady, 1972(Paragraph 5)).
- Production type is a magazine article
- This leads to a formal writing style
- The article is divided into 3 sections throughout ten paragraphs which leads to a formal, essay like, writing style
- Paragraphs 1 and 2 provide context
- "Not too long ago a male friend of mine appeared on the scene fresh from a recent divorce...it suddenly occurred to me that I, too, would like to have a wife, " (Brady, 1972(Paragraph 2)).
- Paragraphs 3-9 support her argument
- Each paragraph starts with "I want a wife who.." then goes on to explain one benefit for having a wife in great detail
- Paragraph 10 wraps up the article with, "My God, who wouldn't want a wife?" (Brady, 1972(Paragraph 10)).
- Supports the assumption that a wife's life is not her own but revolves around her husband's.
- Analyzed "I Want a Wife" through the lens of the previously stated learning outcome
- Looked specifically at the learning outcome and different characteristic of the text to pull meaning from the text
I Want a Wife by Judy Brady