Irony In I Want A Wife By Judy Brady

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Irony In I Want A Wife By Judy Brady

In the personal essay “I Want a Wife”, Judy Brady uses irony to explain why she would want a wife. Brady lists multiple jobs and tasks that an ideal wife does and is expected to do. Along with irony, the author uses sarcasm and repetition to emphasize what a wife does for her husband, as well as her children. I believe the author’s tone changes from pleasant to sarcastic by stating “If, by chance, I find another person more suitable as a wife than the wife I already have, I want the liberty to replace my present wife with another one”. Here Judy Brady portrays a wife as easily replaceable and uses sarcasm to demonstrate that. Judy Brady in her short story, “I Want a Wife” successfully uses irony, sarcasm, and repetition to demonstrate to readers how she believes a wife is portrayed. …show more content…
Most misogynists are men, making it is easy for the reader to believe that the author is a man, when in fact it is a lady using irony to make her point clear. From the beginning of the essay, “I want a wife who will work and send me to school”, to the ending “…I want my wife to quit working and remain at home so that my wife can more fully and completely take care of a wife’s duties” (Brady, Pg.111). The reader imagines a male author describing what he wishes his wife would do. Although she does not truly want a wife, she lists many chores and tasks that she currently does as a wife and wishes she had someone to help her with them. Furthermore, it is almost humorous the way she amplifies the judgment of what a man’s perspective is towards a wife by stating how easily replaceable one is. Although she is clearly trying to educate readers through her use of sarcasm, she also provides a sense of humor to her essay with her use of

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