Final answer:
John Stuart Mill does not give specific personal examples to demonstrate a wife's subjugation to her husband, but rather critiques societal norms and argues for women's legal rights and personal liberties in his works such as "On Liberty" and "The Subjection of Women." He supports the idea that without equal rights, including suffrage, women remain subordinate to men, a position highlighted by other contemporary advocates for women's rights.
Step-by-step explanation:
John Stuart Mill, an influential proponent for individual freedom and equal rights, used various examples to illustrate the subjugation of wives to their husbands. In his work, Mill does not provide specific personal anecdotes but creates a compelling argument for women's rights through logical reasoning and critique of societal norms. His assertions reflect the prevalent attitudes and legal structures of his time which effectively placed women in positions of subordination to their male counterparts, particularly within marriage.
While there isn't a direct quote from Mill using an anecdote to demonstrate a wife's subjugation, he broadly critiques the societal and institutional norms that enforced women's subservience.
Mill's discussions in works such as "On Liberty" and "The Subjection of Women" are founded on the principles of liberalism and advocate for personal liberties and legal rights for women that were, during his time, reserved exclusively for men. For instance, his support for women's suffrage was based on the notion that without political power, women could not participate equally in society, thus fortifying their subjugation.
Moreover, his contemporary examples, such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton's critique of paternalistic statements of men and Sojourner Truth's dismantling arguments against women's suffrage, provided real-world context to the issue of women's subordination. This recognized the urgency in addressing the gendered imbalance of power that stripped women of their autonomy and ability to shape their own destinies.