Alexis Porter

English 1010
Rhetorical Analysis
July 18, 2016

A Rhetorical Analysis When Prisoners Protest

When Prisoners Protest, an article published in The New York Times in July 2013, shares
an authors views and experiences regarding prison conditions and solitary confinement. The
mans name is Wilbert Rideau, a convicted murderer, and he aims to draw the publics attention
to a cruel and harmful practice. Speaking from his own experience as an inmate in solitary
confinement, Rideau expresses his concern of the inhumanity of placing a person in extended
isolation and the social, emotional, and mental impact on those who may or may not be released
back into society.
Rideau begins his article by explaining that there really arent many protests in prison and
provided his thoughts on why the typical inmate does not want to stir up trouble, stating that,
he has little to gain and too much to lose. However, Rideau continues that, though these
protests are not common, they may be necessary at times. A widespread protest took place
shortly before Rideaus article and involved approximately 30,000 inmates in demand of
improved prison conditions.
One such condition concerns solitary confinement. Rideau emphasizes his own
experience as an inmate serving a total of 12 years in various forms solitary confinement. He
believes that isolating a human being for years in a barren cell the size of a small bathroom is

the cruelest thing you can do to a person. He then walks the reader through what one might
expect to go through under such conditions physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Rideau places blame on the prison authorities and offers a simple solution: institute
mechanisms for authorities to meet regularly with inmates to discuss their problems without
fear of reprisal. He provides an example of how well this system has worked within the
Louisiana State Penitentiary, which is now one of the safest maximum security prisons in the U.S.
Rideau believes that prisoner demands are often very reasonable and suggests that a
rehabilitative program would be far more beneficial than solitary confinement both for the
prisoner and for the society they re-enter.
Finally, Rideau explains why you, as the reader, should care about what hes had to say.
He points out the ramifications of returning a prisoner, damaged by the effects of solitary
confinement, back into society for which they are poorly prepared to enter.
Rideaus article is simple, yet powerful. It was easy to identify the Logos, Pathos, and
Ethos of the text. The Logos, in my opinion, could be summarized in his statement, making
responsible inmates partners in managing prison problems has worked extremely well in the
Louisiana State Penitentiary, where the warden and sub-wardens have, for decades, regularly
met with inmate leaders to discuss problems. It has gone from being one of the bloodiest to one
of the safest maximum security prisons in America.
The Pathos: every year men from Californias Pelican Bay and other supermax prisons
around the nation are released directly from the vacuum of their cells into free society, to live
and work among you and your loved ones. As a matter of self-preservation, maybe we should all

join the prisoners request for rehabilitative opportunities that will improve the mental health of
those in solitary.
The Ethos: I know something about solitary confinement, because Ive been there. I
spent a total of 12 years in various solitary confinement cells. And I can tell you that isolating a
human being for years in a barren cell the size of a small bathroom is the cruelest thing you can
do to a person.
Though the text lacks evidence, Rideaus simple statements evoke emotion and force the
reader to care. As a reader, I found myself sorrowful for what he, the author, had to experience
but also worried about my safety and the safety of my loved ones being threatened by these
now damaged and broken individuals who had been subjected to such manner of cruelty.