Final Paper Topic

Final Project - The corrido as a tool of expression

Intro
The corrido is a time-transcending phenomenon that is capable of expressing the substance and style of an individual or, on a grander scale, an entire race of people. Like other genres of music, it welcomes the intermingling of personal, social, and political aspects of life. Consequently, through singing and listening to the corrido, a person(s) is able place themselves into cultural narratives and relive past experiences in the mindset of those the song is about (Sanchez Pg. 7). Though some of these facts hold true for other various genres of music, the corrido relies on these truths more heavily and could not exist without them. For this reason, I contend corridos should not merely be seen pure entertainment, but rather as a tool of expression used by Mexican immigrants to record their struggles and perspective on assimilation into American culture.

Body
From here I'll go into a brief overview of the corrido, such as its formal definition and what separates a corrido from other genres (instrumentation, rhythym, subject matter) and some of its variations. Next I will explain how it was created out of the need for immigrants to express their feelings, more specifically, their angst toward the dominant culture and the injustices immigrants must face on a daily basis.

I'll then analyze the corrido "Somos Mas Americanos" and explain how its language and subject matter point to an angry Mexican immigrant population, who feel they have been subjected to injustices and have been cheated of their land/status.

I then will go on to state why this corrido and band are so significant to the development of the genre itself.

Next, I will explain how the corrido "Contrabando y Traicion" shows the versatility of the corrido and how this has allowed the Mexican immigrant population an outlet to express their new concerns and values.

Lastly, I'll discuss how these corridos (Somos in 2001, Contrabando 1974, El Deportado 1930)
And how they are all relatively similar, proving the strength of the corrido and reinforcing its effectiveness in telling the immigrants perspective.

Conclusion
Restate my claim, and explain the importance of the corrido being seen as a historical/cultural artifact.


Bibliography

Primary
Somos Mas Americanos - El Tigres Del Norte
Contrabando y Traicion - El Tigres Del Norte
El Deportado - Los Hermanos Banuelos

Secondary
Lost Tigres
http://www.starpulse.com/Music/Los_Tigres_Del_Norte/Biography/

Corrido genre
http://latinmusic.about.com/od/genres/p/PROCORRIDO.htm

Illegal Aliens
Impossible subjects: Illegal Aliens and The Making of Modern America. Mae Ngai