Judy Brady's essay, "I Want a Wife," is largely effective through the author's use of repetition, exaggeration, and cynical generalizations. I respect her use of the afore-mentioned literary devices to prove her point that women have often been taken advantage of by their husbands throughout history and that they have demandingly thankless expectations placed upon them due to their gender. Brady artfully displays this position through her countless examples of wives giving up their ambitions and liberties in order to fulfill their unappreciative husbands' desires.
Though I find this essay somewhat effective, it lacks complete persuasive power as the author is only able to present a problem and no solution. There is no call to action. I dislike Brady's biased presentation of extreme generalized situations. Though some of the generalizations have truth to them, the author had the potential to come off as a prejudiced complainer.
"I Want a Wife" is extremely relatable to "Medea." In the play, the wronged Medea feels exploited by Jason, the man she has been cursed to love. It evident that Jason does not appreciate the many sacrifices Medea made for him. As written by Brady, "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. Naturally, I will expect a fresh new life; my wife will take the children and be solely responsible for them so that I am left free." This is the most relatable situation of the essay to Medea's situation, and it so closely matches Medea's misfortune that it could come straight from the play. Jason leaves Medea for a more favorable match of a princess and leaves Medea with their children.
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