AP Texts

[...] we’ll read an article “Why I want a Wife” Make annotations (at least 3) to the article at my AP texts site and then –in your blogs— [...]

Harsh realities of gender roles haven’t been addressed yet. Though women devote 24 hours of service to their families, more time than men work, they are not paid and receive nothing aside from the occassional Mother’s Day card. Expectations of one’s spouse is probably the reason so many couples are divorced. When one can’t live up to the others’ desires, they must hit the road.

I like how she surprises you with her irony and humor. The sentence “…it suddenly occurred to me that I too, would like to have a wife” sort of hits you off-kilter at first, and you double check that you read the author’s name and intro correctly. But then you find the humor in the statement, and it let’s you know that you may laugh at this piece, and be charmed by it. Very effective.

The author of this essay is great writing descriptive essays in which the reader can imagine every last word.

I am not sure about all families, but MY family certainly does not have this dynamic. It frightens me to think that any sort of relationship or marriage such as this could be in my future. Thank goodness there has been some change, and I believe my generation (with classrooms filled with AP girls and support for women in the sciences, etc is growing) will continue to augment and create more change.

“I would like to go back to school so that I can become economically independent, support myself, and if need be, support those dependent upon me. I want a wife who will work and send me to school”

What a useful little contradiction!

reminds me:

http://books.google.com/books?id=1H_jx9XO4dcC&pg=PA19&lpg=PA19&dq=%22self+defeating%22+personality+disorder+%22psychiatrists+wives%22&source=web&ots=eW_x3eeArF&sig=G_d91iQ690v8RQWPshZ33BScpbg

Women really do devote so much time to their families that I can’t believe how lopsided and unjust such a relationship marriage can be. What happened to the ideal of those picture-perfect marriages that worked out in all the old Disney movies?

This last sentence, after the preceeding paragraphs, is the equivalent of saying, “My God, who wouldn’t want a slave??”

The author knows this, and wields it with power that inspires and surprises her reader. The way she describes a conventional marriage has the power to shock a dedicated wife into seeing what is wrong with it, and hopefully shock the husband to realizing the exploitation they are taking part in.

erm the ragnar rahl comment here: “I would like to go back to school so that I can become economically independent, support myself, and if need be, support those dependent upon me. I want a wife who will work and send me to school”

What a useful little contradiction!

reminds me:

http://books.google.com/books?id=1H_jx9XO4dcC&pg=PA19&lpg=PA19&dq=%22self+defeating%22+personality+disorder+%22psychiatrists+wives%22&source=web&ots=eW_x3eeArF&sig=G_d91iQ690v8RQWPshZ33BScpbg”
was me. Bad habit.

I do not like the fact that women are expected to be the ones who herd around the children–or at least were expected. Nowadays, however, it seems that times are changing. Some men are the stay-at-home dads, which is an excellent sign of us moving towards a less sexist direction.

This is an interesting twist of gender roles. From the other side (male gender), it must appear nice having a wife take care of your every need. What if we were to swap roles? This paragraph seems to have a hint of bitter sarcasm.

People don’t write articles about them?

I don’t have much exposure to what other families are like, but from my personal experience, I could not imagine someone doing such a cruel, cold-hearted thing. As the irony in this piece points out, men truly have to step up to the plate if things are as “Why I Want A Wife” depicts. Why should the lady be the only one responsible for bringing up children after the mother and father split apart?

It sounds like the author is saying that the typical man needs more of a mommy more so than a companion (wife). It’s kind of sad to think that “back then” people expected more of this behavior from women more so than today–yikes!

I find it ironic how women are expected to plan out every event. Yet when it comes time for them to enjoy it, they are expected to sit dutifly out of the way, unless they are serving coffee. While there is hyperbole, this is still extremely realistic. How sad.

Do these mysterious wives creatures actually exist? and no equivocation fallacies

It is frightening to think that if a woman really did have that job where her pay was small, she would honestly be “chained” to her husband–she would be financially dependent upon him. This is the case for many unhappy marriages that continue to survive despite the fact that the wife might want to leave the husband. Divorce is a lot easier for guys in the monetary sense. Many men (that is not the say all, however) are not financially dependent upon their wives.

I am a bit confused here. So she stated out by addressing that she is a wife and a mother, but at the end of the first paragraphs she stated that she want a wife. Is there a gender conflict here? Or am I simply just confused? Or is the author writing in a male perspective and having a different view in terms of why male want wife? This is quite humorous and it really catch my attention and wanting to read on to explain the confusion or the reason behind the change.

From what I see, its all about ” I want my wife to do this and that.” It is the modern world and women have rights. Women liberation. Women are enable to work, go to school, have the same rights as men, yet, women are still expected to nurture their child, take care of their family and do every little things in the family while men seems what to be taking the “bigger” role of sustaining a stable finance in the family, but women can do the same. In fact, working is less stressful than managing a family. I think its very selfish for men who thinks that their wife should manage the family from every perspectives.

She doesn’t make out a wife’s job to be easy. Nice parallel structure. This author dose not think very highly of certain men

So I believe from what I read that women, the wife is expected to cook, serve and be somewhat a slave for their husband.This seems to be the expectation that men have toward women back in ancient time, but this one with a bit of modern touch. So the role of women hasn’t change, or should I say the expectation hasn’t changed.

I found the last sentence the most hilarious because it reflects back about women/wife duties and expectation that was set and gosh with such expectation, “who wouldn’t want a wife?” I laugh to the humor of this essay.

I think the gender switch makes gives the piece humor and keeps it from being whiney.

This part is a little strange, yet humorous at the same time. The irony she made was very effective and caught my attention.

I honestly don’t like the author’s statement in this paragraph. It was just one sided and repetitive. Women=housework (homemakers) and Men=bring home the bacon.

Wife-equals slave and nothing more.

I also like this last sentence. A wife wanting a wife signals a humorous/sarcastic atmosphere. And as the readers read on, it is obvious as to why the author or anyone else would want a wife (if they can find one that is so perfect).

Yes, who wouldn’t want a wife like this? I don’t feel that the essay is completely fair or perhaps I haven’t observe enough wives at work, but the author’s (somewhat) biased views makes the essay less credible. Is it even possible to find such a perfect wife? But maybe this is her intention: to show how unrealistic husbands and society in general are to set such standards for women.

This reminds me of the short essay we read this week by Dave Barry. Like he wrote while some men might be able to stay at home and take care of the children and have hyphenated last name, the majority expect their wives to do all the work. Is it possible to find a middle ground, where “slave” together with the business and house work?

The writer addresses some very rigid streotypes regarding married women in this paragraph. I think it’s aweful to assume that only a wife can do all the activities listed. There are nannies that people can hire and husbands and relatives can also pitch in and help! There is no law that says only a wife is capable of handling the children and various housecare chores.

I think what the author really wants is a servant. There isnt any exchange of affection or give and take relationship in what the author says they want a “wife” to do. I think the author is using the term wife in correctly. The wife they want is a essentially legal slavery to say it brutally.

Why would someone want to be this authors wife is what i would like to know. The author would have to mail order a bride for the list of things they want a wife to do and the nonexistent list of things the author would do for “their wife.” I think that if the author could, they would nring to life a 1959s housewife because thats exactly what they’re describing. The whole piece is filled with autrocious stereotypes of married women.

Well, there are some serious stereotypes here…. so basically if that’s what a wife really is i think i’d enjoy one as well. Seems like it’d make life a hell of a lot easier…. excuse my french.

katie, sarah

“My wife must arrange to lose time at work and not lose the job.” What does she get in return, seems as if he’s at some restaurant ordering something. I want this I want that. Wives are people too, you can’t train them to do what you want like dogs.

Kind of funny how she makes fun of men for wanting to leave for a more attractive or younger woman, even if he has family he is leaving behind. It’s like she is referring to guys who try to fight women in court because they don’t want to pay child support.

“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.” She’s your wife not your MOTHER! If she is going to be doing all the work then why doesn’t she just go marry someone else and have a happier life.

we think this is kind of ridiculous because not only does the wife have to buy the groceries to cook, but she also has to prepare the menu, cook it well, serve the guests, take care of them, make sure there is enough for seconds, replenish drinks, make everything perfect, etc.

crazyyyyyyy.

This bothered me more and more as I was reading - partially because my mom is the one who works, and my dad is the one who stays home. I feel like I can tell that it was written a while ago, because I think the roles of the wife and the husband are more meshed, that the women’s role isn’t just in the home and vice versa. In my house, cooking is divided between the four that live there, as is the laundry. My parents are both social and willing to care for each other, act as the host on occasions, and other things that she had in her arguments. It’s as if she is SO deeply unsatisfied with her current role that she wants everything in her life, and maybe she does. It was funny…. for the first paragraph or two. Reading all of it just left me feeling annoyed at her.

“I want a wife to go along when our family takes a vacation so that someone can continue care for me and my when I need a rest and change of scene.”

….Yeah. That’s definitely the only reason to take the wife along on a family vacation

This passage points out the irony of how men expected to be independent and to support themselves and their family, and then goes on and on to list the many things that he would depend on his wife to do. The passage shows that, obviously, a man who calls himself independent and supportive actually would not be able to do anything without a wife.

This is as hilarious as it is depressing. I love her sarcasm in describing everything wives are “supposed” to do for their husbands, but the fact that this stereotype still even exists to be made fun of makes me angry.

I know I want a wife. Sounds pretty good to me.

I think its funny that she makes fun of guys for wanting to go back to school, while the mother doesn’t have the chance to go to school and has to spend all of her time taking care of children, while her husband goes out and doesn’t have to work as hard as the wife is.

By this point, I felt like she was rambling. It’s like, okay, you’ve made your point. I didn’t find it to be particularly humorous anyway.

And, of course, I want a wife who will not demand sexual attention when I am not in the mood for it.

Of all the paragraphs here, this is what sickens me the most. This is where you get a sense of how SELFISH the idea of wanting a wife is. It’s not just that you want to be served, you don’t want to do anything back for the person. It’s like expecting to find a robotic maid who can double as a sexual partner. What the pickle!

Even knowing that this paper is meant to be humorous, it makes me sick to read. Not that i think all men are like this, but those that are are just sad beings. I do not feel sorry for myself as a woman to have to deal with the men out there who actually are like this, instead i feel bad for them. If they are that pathetic that they need someone to boss around in order to feel powerful, they will never get anywhere in life. I feel bad for them, and for their poor wives who succumb themselves to this.

However repulsive to me and probably most other women, it was eye-opening and really showed how much most of us have progressed against this way of thinking. I hope that the people who have read this have realized that traditional sex roles are outdated and unintelligent.

She points out that the way men viewed women and their purpose in life was a person to fit their personal needs and desires. She’s trying to express that men feel that a wife is something found to fit his needs and desires, and who wouldn’t want something that will correspond to their every whim? But she’s saying that that’s now what it is actually about and that, obviously, that’s not what a “wife” is about.

The idea sounds nice I guess… if you care about yourself and yourself alone! Having a wife, based on this whole article, is basically modern-day SLAVERY. Goodness.

I wouldn’t want a wife… If I were a guy, I’d rather have someone who can serve me and who I can serve. If I really wanted someone to do all these things for me without expecting much in return, I should get a robot or a maid.

WHAAAAAT?!!! REALLYYYYY?

After making a woman’s family pay for a wedding and after making a woman exhaust her body, mind and soul for you… REALLY?!

I never really thought about how much meaning the word “wife” carries/ed…or how much meaning it can be made to carry.

It’s interesting how in this, being a wife supersedes any other classification…first you are a wife, instead of being of a certain country or ethnic group or job or personality trait. It reflects how in this article, the ‘wife’ has to take care of ‘wife’ duties before anything else.

I read a really interesting opinion article in the paper recently about feminism, and about how ‘feminism’ has come to mean something undesireable, something bad, but really, anyone who believes that women should be able to go to college and get a job in what they want, not just a nurse or teacher, is a feminist. This reminded me of the newspaper article, and how we really have come pretty far from what it used to be (although we still have a ways to go).

He just wants a wife to wind up doing for him what he cannot and does not want to do

He wants a wife who is like a prostitute, only the fact that she would be his own personal prostitute because she is not allowed to have sex with anyone else while he can philander about with whom ever he pleases because he is a man and thats what makes it right. Pig.

He is basically saying that woman are tools to make men happy and lazy. He is pretty much a jerk

I’m confused, does this women even like being a wife? The picture she paints of a wife’s “duties” is oddly specific and detailed. Is that what it is like for her?

Now this paragraph seems realistic to me. Even though it was written in 1971 it still applies today.

Do men love their children? The husband that the author depicts here seems to want to have nothing to do with his.

You know, I really don’t think this essay is very funny. I know it’s “feminist humor,” but I don’t think it’s accurate. I think any man who is like this doesn’t deserve to have a wife, and that many men who have wives are not like this. There is such a thing as a man who respects the woman he loves.

The way this is written makes it seem like in all families the husband doesn’t even like his kids and just sees them as a nuisance. I feel this is a strange point to make, as I am pretty sure that most fathers love their children just as much as their wives do…

It seems like this is trying to be sarcastic in the end, after listing off all of the things that a wife is expected to do, the author just tosses out there, “Who wouldn’t want a wife?” to accentuate the satirical nature of the piece.