KEY ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TEXT ‘I WANT A WIFE’

Read this text; who’s speaking? Justify.

It’s a woman who speaks “I belong to that classification of people known as wives (…)” line 1

What does a wife do? List her activities.

A wife does everything. The house chores + taking care of children and husband:
- she keeps the house clean
- she prepares the family’s meals (healthy meals)
- prepares the children’s schoolbag and handles children’s schooling
- she drives the children to school, to the park, to the zoo (she entertains them)
- she looks after medical appointments
- she looks after her sick children and husband,
- she listens to her husband’s complaints without complaining about herself and her duties
- she is in charge of the family’s social life and the family’s welfare

Comment on the tone of the text. What do you think it is? Why? Justify.
Humorous, ironical, a bit exaggerated.
A feminist text. “it suddenly occurred to me that I, too, would like to have a wife”

Look at the structure of the text. What do you notice?

Repetition of “I want a wife who” + will or simple present. The woman has to execute the man’s wills. He wants
something, she will do it or already does.
Use of pronoun I.: the author places the man as the center of the woman’s universe, the man isn’t seen as
someone questioning himself about his wife’s needs.
Rhetorical question: “My God, who wouldn’t want a wife?”

What is the aim of this text? Its target?

This aim is to make the reader laugh/smile at this exaggerated description of a wife’s duties.
It aims at male readers, to make them realize what a wife has to do, in comparison with his own role (working to
earn money to support his family).

Is it effective?
It is very effective, since it has a double meaning and purpose: it entertains at the same time as it educates.