The Strange Case Of Ethan Couch, Arizona
Ethan Couch killed four people and injured nine while driving under the influence. However, the judge ruled he would receive ten years of probation, which he later violated, and an unspecified amount of time at the North Texas State Hospital. His defense argued he suffered from “affluenza,” an unrecognized mental illness characterized by wealthy young people who, because of their privilege and wealth, do not understand the consequence of their actions.
Had Ethan Couch not had a privileged upbringing he would have had a more serious charge. Wealthy people get off easier when they break the law.
Affluenza is not a recognized mental disorder and is not found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual published by the American Psychiatric Association.
…show more content…
In 2004, Eric Bradlee Miller was drunk, stole a car, and crashed into a man, killing him. Jean Boyd sentenced him to twenty years. Nine years later, she sentenced Ethan Couch to two years for a more severe crime. Had Eric Bradlee Miller had a wealthy family and a superstar defense willing to create false mental disorders on his behalf, he too could have gotten off with a measly two years.
Ethan Couch did not learn his lesson during his probation. Ethan Couch missed a meeting with his probation officer and was discovered fleeing to Mexico with his mother, Tonya Couch. Before this Ethan was seen cheering on a beer pong game and drinking alcohol, yet another example of how his probation and time at North Texas State Hospital taught him nothing.
Some argue that affluenza is legitimate and because of Ethan’s privilege, he had no concept of right or wrong. Even if affluenza is real and came from his parents influence, why was Ethan sent back into their custody? Ethan Couch is more likely to be a victim of bad parenting, not a mental illness. Bad parenting is not an excuse for murder. Affluenza is not a disorder, not according to psychiatrists and not according to the
Symbols Of Ethan Frome Written In 1911 By Edith Wharton
339 Words | 2 PagesSebastian Castellanos English Unit Activity Ethan Frome There are many different symbols or themes to be found in the story of Ethan Frome. A novel written in 1911 by Edith Wharton. But of all things the red glass pickle dish meant the most and best described the main topic of the story, Ethan's and the relationship to his wife Zeena. Ethan Frome is a story of a man who finds love in his cousin’s wife Mattie although unhappily married to another woman by the name of Zeena. One day Zeena leaves and Ethan is excited to have the house alone with Mattie.
Summary: The Great Arizona Orphan Abduction
1010 Words | 5 PagesTo Satisfy the Desires of Women: The Great Arizona Orphan Abduction by Linda Gordon Linda Gordon uses her book The Great Arizona Orphan Abduction to show racial, gender, class, and religious issues in Arizona during the early 1900s. This novel, at first, seems to be about the orphan train that ran from New York City to Arizona. However, the title is misleading, as it suggests to the reader that the novel is focusing on the orphans. Rather, Gordon uses the orphans as a lens through which one can view the inequalities between the people in Arizona.
What Is The Setting Of Ethan Frome
1142 Words | 5 Pages“Guess he's been in Starkfield too many winters. Most of the smart ones get away” (Wharton 13). The setting of the novel Ethan Frome creates an atmosphere which helps establish the character of Ethan Frome himself. Ethan is a man living a very depressing life in Starkfield, Massachusetts with his wife Zeena, whom he doesn't feel affectionate towards and only married because he's afraid to be alone. The environment he’s in is the only reason why he fell in love with Mattie.
Criminal Just System Failure Essay
1071 Words | 5 PagesThe criminal just system failed Marlina Medrano in so many ways. When Medrano contacted the police about be assaulted by Thomas Hartless and he left with a handgun, in my opinion an arrest warrant should have been put out for him due to the facts that (1) he threatened to kill her (2) it wasn’t the first time he threatened her, and (3) he left with a handgun which was a felony due to his prior felony conviction. My thoughts are the criminal justice system failed to protect Medrano as the police knew of all of this and didn’t issue a warrant until 11 days later. When Hartless went to court for this, he pleaded not guilty and was released on his own recognizance.
Wharton's Guilt In Ethan Frome By Edith Wharton
307 Words | 2 PagesIn the novel, Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, the main character, Ethan Frome, is to blame for the misery of the characters at the end of the novel due to his guilt. When Ethan is starting to write a letter to Zeena about how he is going to leave her and move West, he stops and thinks. Ethan says (directed towards Zeena), “‘I’m going to try my luck West, and you can sell the farm and mill, and keep the money’”(115). He ends up not finishing the letter to her because his guilt takes over and causes him to not follow through with his plan to move West. Ethan feels that he should not just leave Zeena in Starkfield with nothing.
The Role Of Conflict In Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome
633 Words | 3 PagesIn the book Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome was simply imprisoned in a love triangle with his wife, Zeena Frome, and her cousin, Mattie Silver, until death fell upon him. Mattie Silver was who he longed for with great desire, but he was held by the chains of his ill wife who wished to rid of her. Why had Ethan Frome not just divorced his wife? This is what one may inquire and one may apprise the inquisitor that Ethan Frome followed the rules of society by isolating his true self from it by not speaking up. Nevertheless, if he did not follow the rules, he would simply be looked down upon by his peers.
Summary Of Ethan Couch's Affluenza Defense
1013 Words | 5 PagesAnthony Zurcher, an editor for “Echo Chamber” published in BBCNews, wrote the article “Affluenza Defense: Rich Privileged, and Unaccountable” in response to a Texas judge’s ruling on a controversial case. This case was about a 16-year-old boy, Ethan Couch, who drove with a “blood-alcohol level three times above the legal limit” (283), lost control of his pick-up truck and killed four pedestrians. Couch’s lawyers argued that he lacked a sense of responsibility because of his absent, wealthy parents and the lavish lifestyle he lived. This argument led the judge to sentence Couch to a drug rehabilitation center, paid for by his parents, and 10 years probation. There are many other cases similar to Couch’s where the perpetrator would receive a
Analysis Of No Matter How Loud I Shout By Edward Humes
1742 Words | 7 PagesIn the nonfiction novel, No Matter How Loud I Shout, by Edward Humes tells the story about the failings and successes of the juvenile system, through seven delinquents and their cases. Edward Humes is a nonfiction writer and Pulitzer prize winner in 1989. Humes has been writing since he started his writing career at a newspaper company. When he worked at the newspaper company, he was always drawn to the type of stories, that would allow him to dig a little deeper. After he quit his job he to started creating his own works of nonfiction, and would dive into his work with all the free time he had.
Personal Choices In Ethan Frome By Edith Wharton
640 Words | 3 PagesEthan Frome It has been known since the beginning of time that personal choices could completely flip your life upside down. Just like the saying “Curiosity killed the cat,” many people have fallen in the dark shadows of temptation and lived life in misery. Some choices could change your life for the better, but in most cases, we are attracted to the prohibited. For example, in the book Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, Ethan was trapped between commitment and desire. It was Ethan’s impulse and irrational decisions that led him to his own crisis.
Ethan Frome Quotes
984 Words | 4 Pages“Is fate getting what you deserve, or deserving what you get?” (Jodi Picoult). Ethan Frome, written by Edith Wharton in 1911, embodies this quote. In Ethan Frome, all three main characters, Ethan, Mattie and Zeena have made decisions that will affect the rest of their lives. Ethan and Mattie had an inappropriate relationship behind Ethans significant other, Zeena 's, back which caused each of them to be emotionally distraught.
Exemplification Essay: Growing Up In An Asian Family
775 Words | 4 PagesBack then when I was little, Aaron, as an adolescent, always acted with a professional manner, while his parents continuously bragged about his academic achievements. I always thought that it made sense for someone like him to be well rounded at such a young age, since I knew how over the top his parents can be about school. They were those types of parents with the “because I said so” attitude, enforcing their rules through yelling and physical punishment. You could imagine everybody’s surprise when we found out that he ended up piercing his ears and later on getting a tattoo without his parent’s permission. The once courteous young man became involved in many different rebellious activities until one day later on he ran out of money to continue to live in his apartment.
Analysis Of The Documentary When Kids Get Life By Ofra Bikel
927 Words | 4 PagesWhere the courts come into play is when Erik got to his trial. During Erik’s trial the Columbine shooting happened. In the same town, with another white teen whose name was also Eric. This gave him an unfair trial because of the media surrounding the shootings. Some might argue today, that if Erik had a fair trial he, might not be found guilty or have a lesser sentence.
Ethan Frome: A Personal Tragedy
550 Words | 3 PagesIn Edith Wharton's famous book Ethan Frome, main character, Ethan Frome’s story is a personal tragedy. His own decisions he makes are his own fault. But what is his tragedy? Well, to a certain understanding, his tragedy is that in the present day, he is always dreary and not as happy as he could have turned out; in other words, one could say that his tragedy is that he is unsuccessful in happiness. Although one may argue that the tragedy wasn’t all Ethans fault, and that the weather of new england caused it, that certainly isn’t true.
Ethan Frame Literary Analysis
743 Words | 3 PagesIn Ethan Frame there are three major opinions held by the main character, Ethan Frame. These beliefs ultimately lead to his demise towards the end. These three opinions are that he should prioritize his life over others, any man that is attempting to call upon a the debutante is a direct threat to him and his family, and that dying with the ones you love is better than risking a life apart from them. These three opinions ultimately fabricate the ironic situation whereabouts he is living with his companion, Zen, and the woman, Mattie, who had become paralyzed in their attempt to run away from Zen. Specifically, the first obvious outlook that leads in a destructive direction is that Ethan’s wellbeing is more important than all and sundry else’s.
Strain Theory In American History X
1894 Words | 8 PagesThe crime was committed by a man named Derek Vinyard, a white supremacist. He murdered two black gang members after they attempted to steal his truck. If we look closely at the case of Derek Vinyard, we can see that the crime he committed weren’t just a spur-of-the moment thought of killing someone. The actions were rooted deep into his past, wherein his experiences have shaped him into the person that he was today. Certain aspects of his past have influenced his actions, including his environment, the companions that he keeps, his experiences, and a lot
More about The Strange Case Of Ethan Couch, Arizona
Symbols Of Ethan Frome Written In 1911 By Edith Wharton
339 Words | 2 PagesSummary: The Great Arizona Orphan Abduction
1010 Words | 5 PagesWhat Is The Setting Of Ethan Frome
1142 Words | 5 PagesCriminal Just System Failure Essay
1071 Words | 5 PagesWharton's Guilt In Ethan Frome By Edith Wharton
307 Words | 2 PagesThe Role Of Conflict In Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome
633 Words | 3 PagesSummary Of Ethan Couch's Affluenza Defense
1013 Words | 5 PagesAnalysis Of No Matter How Loud I Shout By Edward Humes
1742 Words | 7 PagesPersonal Choices In Ethan Frome By Edith Wharton
640 Words | 3 PagesEthan Frome Quotes
984 Words | 4 PagesExemplification Essay: Growing Up In An Asian Family
775 Words | 4 PagesAnalysis Of The Documentary When Kids Get Life By Ofra Bikel
927 Words | 4 PagesEthan Frome: A Personal Tragedy
550 Words | 3 PagesEthan Frame Literary Analysis
743 Words | 3 PagesStrain Theory In American History X
1894 Words | 8 Pages