To Live Outside the Law, You Must Be Honest

308 Pages·2017·0.87 MB·English

Louisiana State University
LSU Digital Commons
LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School
2006
"To Live Outside the Law, You Must Be Honest" --
Words, Walls, and the Rhetorical Practices of the
Angolite
Scot Howard Whiddon
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College
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Whiddon, Scot Howard, ""To Live Outside the Law, You Must Be Honest" -- Words, Walls, and the Rhetorical Practices of the
Angolite" (2006). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 220.
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“TO LIVE OUTSIDE THE LAW, YOU MUST BE HONEST”
-- WORDS, WALLS, AND THE RHETORICAL PRACTICES
OF THE ANGOLITE

A Dissertation

Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the
Louisiana State University and
Agricultural and Mechanical College
in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy

in

The Department of English

by
Scott Howard Whiddon
B.A., Winthrop University, 1996
M.F.A/M.A., McNeese State University, 1999
December 2006
© Copyright 2006

Scott Howard Whiddon

All rights reserved.
ii
To the staff of The Angolite –
past, present, and future.
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“You don’t fool with Angola or LSU if you’ve got good sense.”
– Gov. Earl K. Long, quoted in the Baton Rouge Morning Advocate,
January 9, 1966 by a close political associate of Long’s six years after his death.
(Carleton 167)

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Acknowledgements

Many people have contributed to the completion of this dissertation as well as to my life
and happiness over the past five years as a graduate student at Louisiana State University – many
more than I have space to thank here.
First, the current staff members of The Angolite were gracious enough to allow me into
their workspace and to teach me about the practices and difficulties of prison inmate journalism.
The 2003 staff, especially current editor Kerry Myers, put up with my endless questions and
helped me gain a sense of life at Louisiana State Penitentiary. The time that I spent with them
was essential to my project, and I hope that this dissertation and my future research concerning
the literature of confinement will help further their cause and draw well-deserved attention to the
larger body of prison journalism. I would also like to thank the inmate-tutors that I met and
worked with during my time at LSP; their energy and commitment to education behind bars is
admirable.
There were other central figures that helped me understand both The Angolite and the
larger world of prison culture. Dr. John Robson of the New Orleans Baptist Theological
Seminary played an important role in my access to Louisiana State Penitentiary. Burk Foster,
recently retired from University of Louisiana-Lafayette and an expert on corrections policy and
Angola history, was kind enough to grant me two extended interviews and provided me with a
wealth of primary materials for future research projects. The Special Collections staff at Hill
Memorial Library was also incredibly helpful in providing both documents and workspace that
were needed for this project.
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Each member of my dissertation committee was crucial in not only helping me develop
this project but also in preparing me for a career in higher education. My director Dr. Katrina
Powell guided me through coursework, general exams, a lengthy job search, and the dissertation
process; she is both rigorous and encouraging, and I could not have completed this project
without her guidance and patience. As a mentor, she is nothing short of inspiring. Dr. Irvin
Peckham was one of the key figures in my decision to enter the field of rhetoric and composition
and taught me a great deal about both the general field and life as a teacher and researcher. Dr.
John Lowe contributed both his expertise on African-American writing and culture and his
thorough knowledge gained from a lifetime of success in the academy; his advice, especially
during my job hunt, was essential. Dr. Susan Weinstein was enormously helpful, especially
during the final months of writing, and was always willing to help me talk through difficult ideas
and concepts. Drs. Mary Sue Garay and James Catano also supported this project in its earliest
stages, and the friendship of Drs. Brannon Costello and Robert Hamm helped keep me focused.
Special thanks goes to Dr. Stephanie Houston Grey of the Department of Communication
Studies, who served as the dean’s representative at my dissertation defense. I am proud to have
worked with all of these amazing teachers and writers. I would also like to thank Dr. Anne
Stockdell-Giesler at the University of Tampa Department of English for accepting a short
version of Chapter Two for her forthcoming collection on the history of outsider rhetoric.
During my years as a graduate student, I have been blessed with friends – again, too
many to mention here – who have helped me think critically about my work and cheered me on
when I needed it most. Damon Nettles was always willing to talk and, equally important, to fix
my computer at all hours. Lisa Costello and Jessica Ketchum, two of my graduate student
colleagues in the rhetoric and composition program, were helpful as critical, insightful readers.
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A special thanks also goes to Ben Lanier-Nabors, Joe Letter, Charles (“the great Chuck B”)
Bane, Sean Flory, Scott Gage, Charles Lyons, Jr., Shelisa Theus, and my fellow South
Carolinians Courtney George and Andy Hoefer. As a side note, all of these people are the most
fun in the world.
Most importantly, there are those who deserve far more than a short thanks in a
dissertation. Gary, Pam, Wade, and Amy Green – my in-laws – have cheered me on through
both this project and my job search. My parents, Ennis and Susanne Whiddon, have been
extremely supportive throughout this entire process and encouraged me to press on when I
wanted to quit and walk away. And finally, my best friend and wife Carrie Green has lived with
this project as long as I have. Her kindness and patience is exemplary, and she shows me by
example every day what real writers do.

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Table Of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………………………………....iv
ABSTRACT……………………………………...……………………………….…….……..…ix
CHAPTER ONE: WHERE IT ALL BEGINS – AN INTRODUCTION…………………………1
CHAPTER TWO: “TO LIVE OUTSIDE THE LAW, YOU MUST BE HONEST”
-- WORDS, WALLS, AND THE RHETORICAL PRACTICES OF
THE ANGOLITE……………………………..…………………………….……….……20

FIRST COUNT: WHERE LA 66 DEAD ENDS…………………………………………...……60
CHAPTER THREE: “WHAT WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PRISON”
-- SOME CRITICAL CROSSROADS BETWEEN LITERACY, THE PENAL
PRESS, AND THE PRISON-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX………………………………70

SECOND COUNT: “TO PREPARE A FACE TO MEET THE FACES THAT YOU MEET”
-- REPRESENTATION, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND FEAR………...……………….137

CHAPTER FOUR: “DON”T SERVE TIME. MAKE TIME SERVE YOU”
-- ANGOLITE REPRESENTATIONS OF COMMUNITY AND LITERACY….….....149

THIRD COUNT: SONGS, FUNERALS, PRAYERS………………………………………….207
CHAPTER FIVE: “FIGHTING TO BE A MAN” – ANGOLITE REPRESENTATIONS
OF SEX BEHIND BARS………………………………………………………………214

FOURTH COUNT: HOW I GOT KICKED OUT OF PRISON…………………………...…..265
EPILOGUE: LIGHTS OUT – SOME FINAL REMARKS……………………………………274
WORKS CITED…………………………………………………………………..……………283
VITA……………………………………………………………………………………………298

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Abstract

“To Live Outside the Law, You Must Be Honest”: Words, Walls, and the Rhetorical
Practices of The Angolite examines the 50 year history of The Angolite, a news magazine
published and edited by inmates at Louisiana State Penitentiary. While The Angolite and the
efforts of former editor Wilbert Rideau have been discussed in the public media, especially here
in Louisiana, my dissertation is the first extended scholarly account of this prison publication.
Specifically, I examine how inmate writers held in one of the most historically violent
penitentiaries in the United States choose to represent themselves, their multiple literacies, and
their own understanding of such issues as inmate educational opportunities and prison rape.
Such literacy practices are framed by the fact that the majority of inmates at Angola read below
fifth-grade level and that educational opportunities behind bars are few. Via rhetorical analysis
and ethnographic accounts, I show how these writers attempt to engage in public sphere
discussions of human rights, literacy, ethics, and the history of incarceration. As a whole, these
writings create a counter-identity that challenges the dominant conception of prisoners in the
United States. In short, Angolite staff members write to become something other than other.

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