A Day in Folsom Prison Summary and Analysis

Cleaver describes in detail his daily routine. While inmates are not required to get up until 7 a.m., Cleaver rises early in order to start his day with an exercise routine. He says he sometimes forgoes the exercise in order to write, but not often. He is then given some hot water and takes what he terms "a bird bath" - a bath for a jailbird. Though Cleaver hasn't addressed the current letter to anyone in particular, he admits that when he sees "your name on the envelope, I let out a big yell." Cleaver is housed on the honor block. Those cells have heavy metal doors and Cleaver says it once bothered him, but later became a safety net. In those cells with only bars, it's possible for another inmate to simply...