My Arrest and Rebirth :: Law College Admissions Essays

My Arrest and Rebirth   With great embarrassment and pain, I must tell you that I adopt once been arrested it was over a fight with my brother Jacob.   The police attribute Jakes behavior to chemical dependence my parents blame it on some unknown mishap while he was at school. I dont know, myself I do know that I returned from Israel to find Jake had taken over my room, as easily as anything else in the house he could manipulate or control. The TV, VCR and computer were his absolute domain I missed a calculus final because he took the railcar without permission. He refused to engage in any conversation at all with my parents. His conversations with me and Sol were primarily a barrage of put-downs and insults. He kept lists of crimes other mountain had committed, for which he sought revenge, by stealing things or just hiding them. Nothing was secure or safe at home I didnt liveliness secure or safe there. Home was worse hell than the army had ever been.   How can I explain how traumatic this was for me? Imagine being drowsy on the sofa (the only bed I had) and being awakened in the middle of the night by the blasting of the TV. If I complained, I would be either ignored or screamed at. If I pretended interest, he would start changing channels, or switch to the stereo. If I called my parents, my crime got added to his list for later revenge.   I pleaded with my parents to intervene, but they just called me selfish couldnt I see that I had a sick brother, that I had to help him by tolerating his behavior until he magically got well? Magically because we couldnt seek any help that would require letting an outsider know We had a problem.   After he beat up my brother Sol, my drive ordered Jake to leave until he cooled off, the first time he had ever intervened. But Jake called my fathers bluff he disappeared for two weeks.  This pattern of violence, abusiveness, drinking and disappearing escalated end-to-end the summer. After on e particularly violent outburst, I finally tried to show my parents that by refusing to deal with Jakes illness, they were hurting Sol and me. I staged a suicide attempt with sugar pills I had placed in an aspirin bottle.