Rhetorical Analysis Of El Corrido De Juanito

El Corrido de Juanito: Rhetorical Analysis
The political climate in the United States has recently been very intense, all beginning with Trump and his negative remarks against the immigrant community. His most famous and derogatory words calling Mexicans rapists and drug dealers (Reilly), sparked a huge uproar in the defense of the Mexican people who have chosen to immigrate to the United States. Along his path to the presidency he has time after time belittled Mexicans and their culture. That, however, has not stopped the Mexican band, Calibre 50 from shedding light on an all too real journey and attempting to fortify their fans for a common cause. Almost a year into Trump’s presidency Calibre 50 released the music video for their song, “El Corrido de Juanito.” The music video follows the journey of a man crossing the border to which it then shows him trying to make a life for himself in the United States as a gardener and a chef. The video attempts to show what it is like to illegally

come into the U.S. while also showing the hardships of trying to get by a day’s work. The music video also attempts to rekindle pride among its viewers through the use of ethos, pathos, and relatable situations.
Calibre 50 has been very popular in both Mexico and the United States; now even reaching audiences in Central America. As Billboard referenced them, they have become “folk heroes of the Mexican immigrant community,” (Katz). The band had established their ethos dating back to 2013. Notorious for their song “El Inmigrante,” they previously shed light on the treacherous journey that is coming to the United States illegally. Calibre 50 has, on numerous occasions, attempted to let their Mexican audiences understand their value here in the United States. The band often reminds their audiences at every performance that they are the reason things run in the U.S. This is largely important because it shows their audience that they understand what they are going through, and have been through similar experiences themselves. They have used their fame to support a bigger picture and build the confidence of the people that have spent their entire lives in the U.S. living in fear. The band recognizes that their audience is vulnerable, and they want their audience to know that they are not alone.
The music video immediately begins by showing a man surrounded by nothing but the open desert and mountains. On his journey he comes across the tombstones of those that have died trying to make it to the northern side of the border (2:50). He pays his respects and carries on. This scene largely establishes pathos because it shows to the viewers that the journey is dangerous and overall, lonesome. It ultimately portrays the amount of desperation immigrants have in order to risk just about everything for a fresh start in a different country. It is typically during this journey that immigrants spend several weeks with minimal contact with their family, and either alone or accompanied by strangers that will leave them behind in a heartbeat if something were to go wrong. Hungry, hot during the day and cold by night, this scene exemplifies the degree of danger in which one is willing to face just to make it to the other side to the United States.
As the music video goes on we are shown two men, of Mexican descent, that work in a restaurant be denied the right to eat inside and forced to eat out on the curb (3:56). This could potentially symbolize that no matter how hard Mexican immigrants work here in the United States, their work often goes unrecognized and gets repaid by wanting them deported. This incites a feeling of anger within the audience because if one has worked so hard they deserve the decency to at least get acknowledged for the work they do. It makes the viewer question their value and the value of their work here in the United States.
At the end of the music video the band members are seen standing on a bridge overlooking the traffic at the border going into the United States (4:18). Their shirts read “Mexicano hasta el tope” which translates to “Mexican to the top.” This scene hits the heart the most for its viewers. It gives a feeling of triumph, and the feeling of overcoming obstacles, which is generally the vibe of the video as a whole, with respect to the numerous mountains shown at the beginning and the border itself displayed in the background while the band played. The quote on their shirt incites pride in one's own heritage, so much so that it has approximately been hashtagged 7,500 times on Instagram.
One of the biggest factors that makes this music video so effective is that it is relatable to most of Calibre 50’s audience.

Many of their fans have crossed the border illegally, or have relatives that have done so. The song goes into saying, “Mis hijos son grandes y no les entiendo-- no hablan español,” translating into “My children are grown but I do not understand them-- they do not speak Spanish,” (1:14). A study done by the Pew Research Center reveals that the number of Latinos in the United States that speak Spanish is slowly decreasing (Krogstad and Lopez), which shows that this is an all too real issue facing those among the Latino community. This particular occurrence is becoming too common for many families because as they push to fit into the American way of living, their roots may sometimes get lost in translation. It is one thing to not be able to properly communicate with your children, but it is another to not be able to talk to them because of a language

barrier.
Calibre 50’s music video for their song, “El Corrido de Juanito” was ultimately a big hit amongst their fans.They were able to create a sense of unison among the immigrant community, urging them to stand up against the prejudice in which they have recently faced. The music video also successfully builds a sense of pride among their Mexican audience; re-establishing the pride that was being deteriorated by the heavy political climate currently engulfing the United States. Calibre 50 effectively used their name and connection with their audience to give the Latino immigrant community hope that a bigger name in society will stand up for them and be there for them when their own voices are being lost in the crowd.