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With His Pistol in His Hand: Part I

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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 corrido comes 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


Comments

  1. JonJanuary 28, 2020 at 1:38 AM

    If you're looking for the corrido, look no further than the course website!! :) But yes, the Ramón Ayala recording is indeed a version of the song. On the other hand, as we will see next week, in some sense there is no original!

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  2. Curtis HRJanuary 28, 2020 at 9:58 PM

    Hey Maria,

    I'm with you. The display of the actual legend right before the real account of Gregorio Cortez is really impactful and caught my eye. The legend is so fun to read and it really put me in the position of someone listening to the corrido in a bar late at night. The corrido is such a crucial part of the border communities as it is passed on from person to person, changing as it goes. The changes are significant as they draw from other Mexicans' experiences as well, amalgamating into not just a story of Cortez, but of the Border Mexicans all together. Well done, looking forward to some awesome discussions.

    -Curtis HR

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