Author Archives: Syndicated User

With his pistol in his hand II: A hero is a man who fights for his right

During the second part of the book, there was one phrase commonly repeated,  it was: ” the man fighting for his right with his pistol in his hand “.  This phrase contains the man idea behind the hero presented in the ballad of Gregorio Cortez. He is a man who fights for his right with his pistol in his hand. Gregorio Cortez is converted into a hero because he had the courage to stand up for his right. People of the Rio Grande felt identified with him in the sense that Cortez also suffers from the inequalities and discrimination of the rangers. However, he is distinct from the general population because he has rebelled against them, putting his right in the first place. The construction of the hero, Americo Paredes says, is one of the main components that forms the characteristic corrido or border ballad.

Another important component of the corrido is its thematic. The bigger theme is: the border conflict. The existence of Gregorio Cortez as a hero comes into being due to the complex circumstances around this geographical location. The ongoing confrontation between both of the communities at each side of the border creates this tension and subsequent quarrels. Mexicans suffer from the persecution of the rangers, and that`s how the man who rebels against this unjust persecution becomes a folk hero. Therefore, it is possible to assert that the creation of the ballad border has as their two main components: the thematic of the border conflict, and the figure of the hero (who is a man who fight for his right).

Aside of these components, the border ballad has remained in the Rio Grande region due to the fact that the communities at each side of the border, with their characteristic ways of life, and their oral traditions of transmitting the stories of their folk heroes,  have helped to maintain the corrido as an important element of their culture. The Gregorio Cortez legend has prevailed in the form of a ballad. However,  Cortez is not the only hero of this region. In the second part of the book, many names of different men appear. These men are other heroes who have had stories  similar to Cortez. They have shoot sheriffs for defending their rights;  they have been persecuted by hundreds of rangers without any success; they have gone to prison; they have been liberated by a beautiful women, etc.

The story of Gregorio Cortez is without doubt a good way to learn more about the corrido and the Chicano culture.

…

Note:

I enjoyed this reading since beyond the story of Gregorio Cortez, one can identify the historical, social and cultural factors around the construction of the character; and also about the creation of this border ballad.

With His Pistol in His Hand (Part 1)

I personally like how “With His Pistol in His Hand” is structured. I find it more interesting than the first book that we read because of the context that the first chapter contains. I remember having to navigate around the characters in “The Squatter and the Don” as they came along one by one with no context (at least for some of them) whatsoever ahead of time. After having been given some historical context, I found it easier to know “where I am”.

It is apparent that greed, along with brutality, is a recurring theme in the books that we have read so far. The 21st page of the book talks about categorizing Americans during this time. They either do not have personal feelings against the Mexicans but ruthless in their efforts to acquire a fortune quickly or they are inclined to be brutal to everyone and have targeted the Mexicans because of their defenseless state after the war because they are easy outlets.

As I was reading the part where it explains how Rangers would “shoot first and ask later”, I could not help but be reminded of the stories of the Second World War that I heard from my grandparents when I was little. My great grandfather passed down his experience with the Japanese during the Second World War. Since the Philippines was an American base in the Pacific, it is expected to have the presence of the Japanese military in the country. My great grandfather lived in a small town where a person can just run around to warn people that Japanese soldiers are coming to do their rounds. Two of my great grandfather’s nieces sought refuge in his home as they said that some Japanese soldiers were after them. My great grandfather had to find a way to hide his nieces and he did. He had them hidden and rolled up in straw mats and leaned them against the wall. Shortly, the soldiers came along with an interpreter who can speak both the dialect and Japanese. The Japanese soldiers asked about the girls but of course my great grandfather said that they weren’t there even though the soldiers insisted that they saw the girls run towards his house. My great grandfather succeeded in convincing the soldiers and they all decided to leave. The interpreter was the last one out the door but then he told my great grandfather, “take care of those girls. I know they’re here. Straw mats don’t roll up that big.”

It is obvious that greed and brutality has been part of society and it is sad how this is how most people will be remembered, some as the ones being oppressed and some being the ones doing the oppressing.

Ad hoc blog (if that’s okay?)

I’ve thought a lot aboot our class discussion today and I decided to an ad hoc blog. If it isn’t okay to post it, I will delete it.

I decided to look up Myriam Gurba’s review of American Dirt. Boy, she sure doesn’t mince words. So I googled her and noticed that on one of her profile pages she labels herself as (ehem) ‘queer’.

I absolutely hate this word, perhaps more than any other word. No, that’s not true—it has the same timbre to me as the N-word. To a gay man of my vintage, this was the worst possible thing you could be called. For my generation and the one just the generation before me, when it was discovered that a man’s bread was buttered on the other side, his name would be published in newspapers for all to see. He would lose his family, kids, house, job—everything. I know people that this happened to in the 70s and 80s. One of my friends only recently got back in touch with his three daughters who had become estranged when their Mum left him in late 70s. He’s now a very proud granddad of 5.

When my parents found out I was gay, I was removed from the house because a social worker at the school (a Catholic school at that) didn’t think it was safe for me to go home. I got called out of Mrs. Buzzelli’s grade 12 religion class to see my guidance councillor. I was told it wasn’t safe to go home because my parents ‘knew’. For the better part of 13 years, I was without a family.

This history of the word queer is very dark for gay men. Unfortunately, the ‘least said, soonest mended’ lead to subsequent generations not understanding the full significance of that word. It was decided, at some point, by these younger generations that this word would be a cute word to take back…to own…to feel powerful in saying it. Yet, when I hear this word, to this day, it evokes a sense of fear, a sense of shame. I am not queer. No one is queer. It is not a word that should be used.

So when I read that Ms Gurba used this word to describe herself, I decided to take her to task. I doubt I will ever hear back from her. But I wondered: if Jeanine Cummins is not allowed to write about Mexican-Americans…who is she—Myriam Gurba, a lesbian—to use this word to describe herself? The word ‘queer’ was never used in reference to women. Lesbians and bisexual women never faced the same stigma that gay men faced. Oh, being a lesbian was no cake walk, don’t get me wrong…they were often the butt of rude and disgusting comments (or worse) from heterosexual men. But what right does she, other lesbians and younger generation LGBT folks to take back this word that wasn’t even their word to begin with? What right is there to tell someone NOT to take offense to something that really hurts them?

Of course, I have no right to usurp anyone’s agency over which words they choose or do not choose to use, just like no one has any right to say you can’t write a book about whatever you want. Everyone has the right to have a voice, whether for or against something. So in a round aboot way, I get why Ms Gurba was pissed off, but at the same time, I don’t understand how she can so blindly describe herself as q____ (I’ve said it too much already and I feel uncomfortable already).

I am closing my ad hoc blog with an article that sums up my thoughts on the q-word. Using this word is offensive. And telling me or anyone else that this word is okay to use is oppressive. Thank you for reading.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/not-queer-just-gay-no-thanks_b_9145566

With His Pistol in His Hand: Part 1

I have found myself really interested in this novel and its story. What I have really liked is the way that the story is being narrated. Rather than explaining a story using added words to describe situations, experiences and adventures being told, Paredes takes on a different approach as he presents the story in a very descriptive yet specific manner. This makes the story quite fast paced and enjoyable to read. I believe that this added to the effects of being able to fully submerse yourself and experience the kind of adrenaline rush that Gregorio Cortez probably has when running away from those who want to capture him, such as the rangers and the sheriffs.

One of the parts of the novel that really interested me was when the author first touches on the historical situation of the Lower Río Grande. He informs the reader of important information in regards to relationships between the Texans and the Mexicans and the communities near the border. It is quite interesting how this area that separates the United States and Mexico has been exposed to discrimination, ill-treatment and violence throughout history and it is still happening today in age. One of the areas that really caught my attention in this part of the novel was the way in which Mexicans were described by the Texans. It really surprised me how they were educated on their views of Mexicans not only through society and their discriminatory ideas but also within literature. The Anglo-Texan legend based on the attitudes and beliefs of the Mexicans were supported by literary works and articles. This so called legend was summarized in twelve points that expressed a completely racist, deplorable and superior status towards the Mexicans. One point that caught my attention was the one about Mexicans being of mixed race. Even though part of their race is of European descent the Texans still viewed it as inferior as they considered the Spanish race a second-rate type of European.  Though it was a European race they probably had an inferior view to it because it was not associated to the Anglo race.

I look forward in continuing to read this novel and in learning more about a heroic figure and the study of his life and the legend that he represents. This figure and his confidence, escapes from capture and personality inspired Mexicans and brought them together in remembering him through corridos written in memory of him.

With His Pistol in His Hand: Part 1

I have found myself really interested in this novel and its story. What I have really liked is the way that the story is being narrated. Rather than explaining a story using added words to describe situations, experiences and adventures being told, Paredes takes on a different approach as he presents the story in a very descriptive yet specific manner. This makes the story quite fast paced and enjoyable to read. I believe that this added to the effects of being able to fully submerse yourself and experience the kind of adrenaline rush that Gregorio Cortez probably has when running away from those who want to capture him, such as the rangers and the sheriffs.

One of the parts of the novel that really interested me was when the author first touches on the historical situation of the Lower Río Grande. He informs the reader of important information in regards to relationships between the Texans and the Mexicans and the communities near the border. It is quite interesting how this area that separates the United States and Mexico has been exposed to discrimination, ill-treatment and violence throughout history and it is still happening today in age. One of the areas that really caught my attention in this part of the novel was the way in which Mexicans were described by the Texans. It really surprised me how they were educated on their views of Mexicans not only through society and their discriminatory ideas but also within literature. The Anglo-Texan legend based on the attitudes and beliefs of the Mexicans were supported by literary works and articles. This so called legend was summarized in twelve points that expressed a completely racist, deplorable and superior status towards the Mexicans. One point that caught my attention was the one about Mexicans being of mixed race. Even though part of their race is of European descent the Texans still viewed it as inferior as they considered the Spanish race a second-rate type of European.  Though it was a European race they probably had an inferior view to it because it was not associated to the Anglo race.

I look forward in continuing to read this novel and in learning more about a heroic figure and the study of his life and the legend that he represents. This figure and his confidence, escapes from capture and personality inspired Mexicans and brought them together in remembering him through corridos written in memory of him.

With His Pistol in His Hand: Part I


While reading this first part of the novel, what struck me the most at first was the structure in which we find it. The first page starts with the music notes for the Corrido of Gregorio Cortez. And then we go into the contextualization of the story in Chapter 1, where the author gives an understanding of the different special settings and actors of this story. In Chapter 2 we find the telling of the legend. I found that it was being told as if someone was reading it out loud, transmitting it orally as one does around a campfire. That is how this legend was passed down, through singing this corrido. Chapter 3 brings a firm, somewhat biographical account of The Man himself and finally Chapter 4 goes into the progress of this person as a folklore hero. We note that there is a clear difference of the telling of the legend in chapter 2 versus chapter 3. In chapter 3 we receive more specific information, names, dates, the consequences and his descendants, this is where we see the actual ‘study’ of this legend.
            After having an overall view of the first part, I was still curious as to why the author chose to start the novel with having music notes at its beginning. Personally, this is the first novel I read where that happens. I think that it takes the most important spot in the overall study the author is making, for without it the legend wouldn’t have existed. In my view, these 2 music phrases are the novel. From this corridocomes about the search for the story of Gregorio Cortez. And then taking it apart lead to telling the legend and the discovery of the man behind it. The lyrics, the story, of this hero is encapsulated in border folklore due to the ballad that is being sung. A tune is engrained in the memory for far longer than simply memorizing a song. We look at other cases such as gospel, jazz, any national traditional songs, are passed down through generations and embody a lifestyle, past sufferings of a people. I find that this ballad stays due to the empathy felt for Gregorio Cortez, for any good, family man would’ve done the same in his circumstances. It also resonates particularly to those by the border for there were hard feelings between the Mexicans and the Rangers. The ballad then also encompasses the suffering and emotions felt by these people, and how a heroic figure like Gregorio Cortez liberates them from the oppression they felt by the Rangers.
            I was trying to find the original corrido that inspired this legend. I also attempted playing it on the piano. I am not sure if I found it, but I discovered the following song that I believe transmits that story with the same spirit:
https://youtu.be/M9Jp4p8_fH8


With His Pistol in His Hand: Part I


While reading this first part of the novel, what struck me the most at first was the structure in which we find it. The first page starts with the music notes for the Corrido of Gregorio Cortez. And then we go into the contextualization of the story in Chapter 1, where the author gives an understanding of the different special settings and actors of this story. In Chapter 2 we find the telling of the legend. I found that it was being told as if someone was reading it out loud, transmitting it orally as one does around a campfire. That is how this legend was passed down, through singing this corrido. Chapter 3 brings a firm, somewhat biographical account of The Man himself and finally Chapter 4 goes into the progress of this person as a folklore hero. We note that there is a clear difference of the telling of the legend in chapter 2 versus chapter 3. In chapter 3 we receive more specific information, names, dates, the consequences and his descendants, this is where we see the actual ‘study’ of this legend.
            After having an overall view of the first part, I was still curious as to why the author chose to start the novel with having music notes at its beginning. Personally, this is the first novel I read where that happens. I think that it takes the most important spot in the overall study the author is making, for without it the legend wouldn’t have existed. In my view, these 2 music phrases are the novel. From this corridocomes about the search for the story of Gregorio Cortez. And then taking it apart lead to telling the legend and the discovery of the man behind it. The lyrics, the story, of this hero is encapsulated in border folklore due to the ballad that is being sung. A tune is engrained in the memory for far longer than simply memorizing a song. We look at other cases such as gospel, jazz, any national traditional songs, are passed down through generations and embody a lifestyle, past sufferings of a people. I find that this ballad stays due to the empathy felt for Gregorio Cortez, for any good, family man would’ve done the same in his circumstances. It also resonates particularly to those by the border for there were hard feelings between the Mexicans and the Rangers. The ballad then also encompasses the suffering and emotions felt by these people, and how a heroic figure like Gregorio Cortez liberates them from the oppression they felt by the Rangers.
            I was trying to find the original corrido that inspired this legend. I also attempted playing it on the piano. I am not sure if I found it, but I discovered the following song that I believe transmits that story with the same spirit:
https://youtu.be/M9Jp4p8_fH8


With His Pistol in His Hand: Part I


While reading this first part of the novel, what struck me the most at first was the structure in which we find it. The first page starts with the music notes for the Corrido of Gregorio Cortez. And then we go into the contextualization of the story in Chapter 1, where the author gives an understanding of the different special settings and actors of this story. In Chapter 2 we find the telling of the legend. I found that it was being told as if someone was reading it out loud, transmitting it orally as one does around a campfire. That is how this legend was passed down, through singing this corrido. Chapter 3 brings a firm, somewhat biographical account of The Man himself and finally Chapter 4 goes into the progress of this person as a folklore hero. We note that there is a clear difference of the telling of the legend in chapter 2 versus chapter 3. In chapter 3 we receive more specific information, names, dates, the consequences and his descendants, this is where we see the actual ‘study’ of this legend.
            After having an overall view of the first part, I was still curious as to why the author chose to start the novel with having music notes at its beginning. Personally, this is the first novel I read where that happens. I think that it takes the most important spot in the overall study the author is making, for without it the legend wouldn’t have existed. In my view, these 2 music phrases are the novel. From this corridocomes about the search for the story of Gregorio Cortez. And then taking it apart lead to telling the legend and the discovery of the man behind it. The lyrics, the story, of this hero is encapsulated in border folklore due to the ballad that is being sung. A tune is engrained in the memory for far longer than simply memorizing a song. We look at other cases such as gospel, jazz, any national traditional songs, are passed down through generations and embody a lifestyle, past sufferings of a people. I find that this ballad stays due to the empathy felt for Gregorio Cortez, for any good, family man would’ve done the same in his circumstances. It also resonates particularly to those by the border for there were hard feelings between the Mexicans and the Rangers. The ballad then also encompasses the suffering and emotions felt by these people, and how a heroic figure like Gregorio Cortez liberates them from the oppression they felt by the Rangers.
            I was trying to find the original corrido that inspired this legend. I also attempted playing it on the piano. I am not sure if I found it, but I discovered the following song that I believe transmits that story with the same spirit:
https://youtu.be/M9Jp4p8_fH8


With his pistol in his hand (Part I): the folklore as a legitimate topic for research

With his pistol in his hand is surprising because it is not a novel but a scholarly work on the Chicano culture. The book uses the oral tradition by studying in detail a corrido on a folk hero, Gregorio Cortez, as a means of providing a social and cultural history of the Texas-Mexico border.

The first point I would like to make is that Paredes’ book is a mixture of different genres. It is partly historical with its chapters 1 and 2, which provide an in-depth factual study of the history of the north of the former Spanish province of Nuevo Santander, which became South Texas between the Rio Grande and the Nueces Rives, and the true story of Gregorio Cortez. Chapter 2 is of a folkloric nature with a complete account of the legend of Gregorio Cortez as it was told in the oral corrido. The book is also ethnographic in its description of the Tejano culture. This mixture allows Paredes to provide a complete description of the political and social climate of the northern Rio Grande.

The ballad of Gregorio Cortez describes a region where border conflicts are the cause and consequence of a cultural conflict between Anglo-Americans and Mexican-Americans living in South Texas.

In Chapter 1, Paredes demonstrates that knowledge of the historical border conflicts between the two countries is necessary to understand the cultural discrimination of Hispanic Tejanos. The history of the Mexican border is not the history of a peaceful straight line. The region was the scene of several border conflicts during the second part of the nineteenth century as well as the first part of the twentieth century. As the author explains, the conflicts between the Republic of Texas and Mexico around the Rio Nueces and the major impact of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo were crucial in creating this cultural rivalry. The former had the most dramatic impact by using the Rio Grande as the border between the United States and Mexico. This treaty thus created a separation where Mexican communities lived in cohesion. Moreover, these border conflicts were predominant in the association of Mexicans with the enemy. First of all, Mexicans were considered violent, thieves or criminals because of the atrocities committed by General Santa Anna during the war of secession between the Republic of Texas and Mexico. Second, Mexicans were considered to be foreigners from the United States. This is reflected in the glorification of the Texas Rangers who were considered a crucial element of border control. Mexican Americans were not considered part of the Nation but merely immigrants who wanted to benefit from the economic development of the region. As a result, the presence of Mexican Americans in Texas was seen by some Anglo-Americans as a violation of the border, which is ironic given that Mexicans were there long before the Anglo-Americans. This implies that Mexican-Americans were seen as people who had no place in the territory and were therefore considered undesirable. This construction of the Mexican as a foreigner was central to the association of Mexicans as a threat to the security of Anglo-Americans, as evidenced in the Ballad of Gregorio Cortez the association of several innocent people as belonging to the “Cortez gang”. Furthermore, treating Mexicans as second-class citizens or enemies provides the Texas Rangers with a moral justification for “enforcing” the law as they see fit. As a result, this cultural conflict has also fueled future border disputes.

Thus, through his academic study of the Ballad of Gregorio Cortez, Paredes provides crucial work on cultural conflicts in Texas. The story of Gregory Cortez could have been anyone’s story. This is why Mexican-Americans were able to identify themselves and translate the reality of conflict in this region into a ballad. Therefore, Paredes shows us that folklore is therefore a primary subject of study to understand the history of this region.

With His Pistol in His Hand: Part One

While reading With His Pistol in His Hand I thoroughly enjoyed reading the legend of Gregorio Cortez. I love how Cortez is said to have been feared across Texas and could strike fear into the hearts of 300+ armed men with a glance. The supernatural power of the sorrel mare also was quite impressive as it outran numerous sturdier and stronger horses. Though El Corrido de Gregorio Cortez is very hyperbolic and at times utterly ridiculous, I found two important topics covered in the first half of this book; the prejudiced beliefs held by the border people and how Gregorio is not only a simple icon but rather a representation of the characteristics of the Mexican people.

Both sides of the Border, whether Mexican or Texan, held unsavoury beliefs about the opposing group. Texans, mainly Texas Rangers, believed that they were superior to everyone, especially in relation to the thieving, inferior, and cowardly Mexican. On the southern side, we see Mexicans understand the Texan Rangers as bloodthirsty yet lily-livered Americans that were afraid of confrontation and often “shot first and asked questions later”. These beliefs about the other proved to further divide a people already separated by national boundary. We can still see some of these prejudices today, showing that they were not simply divisive remarks made to hurt the feelings of the other, but have tremendous implications in forming meaningful relationships with people of different backgrounds. The Mexican and Texan beliefs created an even larger divide between citizens of different societies, but in reality, the two groups may have had more commonalities uniting them rather than segregating them.

Though there were strong divisions in the Border communities, the legend of Gregorio Cortez truly brought the Mexican people together, as he represented what a Mexican citizen could become. Gregorio Cortez was a simple man with a very eventful life and though he was transformed into a historic icon, the legend was formed in such a way to connect wholeheartedly to every Mexican citizen. It is said he was neither short nor tall, not light nor dark, and not skinny nor heavy. He was an expert in farming, a master in taming horses, and an excellent gunslinger. Cortez represented every Mexican landowner, symbolizing what every Mexican wanted to become. The creation of the legend only strengthened the feeling of pride within Mexican communities, as they were honoured to share qualities with the Border Hero, Gregorio Cortez. Although the beliefs held by both the Mexicans and Texans sought to divide the people indefinitely, the legend of Gregorio Cortez was the epitome of brotherhood and unity within the nation of Mexico.

-Curtis HR