Response to “I Want a Wife” From the Social Perspective

"I Want a Wife" is an interesting essay, because the author is actually a wife but she says that she wants a wife. Is there something wrong with this author? Definitely no! After reading the essay, I believe that nobody will say no to a wife. Author repeated "I want a wife who…" many times to list the duties of a wife. Most of the duties she listed are obviously unfair and unbelievable to me, so I read the essay and defined it as a satire. After reading, I could not help thinking whether it was true for the society at that time. This essay was published in 1971 when the women's movement just begun. Being written by a wife makes what this essay said more convincing, but the title and the tune the author used makes the essay much less serious. The author found a not so serious way to magnify the social issue properly, so that she can draw people's positive attention without discomforting some sensitive people. Obviously, the author is a feminist. At her time, the general idea was that women were in a lower social class than men. Being a well-educated woman, the author was absolutely not satisfied with the attitude people taken towards women at that time. This essay must exited people's enthusiasm of women's movement. Even in such a society as it is today where people are "created equal", this essay still worth reading. Not only because it is funny, but also because that it makes me think of other kinds of discrimination. To protect or to maximize some people's benefit, there must be some people sacrifice their benefit and be treated unfairly.
Link to "I Want a Wife":http://www.columbia.edu/~sss31/rainbow/wife.html