ASSIGNMENT #1:

LENGTH: 2-3 PARAGRAPHS FOR EACH NUMBERED QUESTION

ACCEPTED FORMATS: PDF, DOC

Using the lecture notes, the required reading and the film, please write two to
three paragraphs FOR EACH NUMBERED QUESTION. You will submit
your answers in either a PDF or DOC formatted document below.

1. Many have argued there are parallels between the title character Charles
Foster Kane and the real life publishing magnate William Randolph
Hearst. Based on the assigned reading and your viewing of the film, please
discuss THREE similarities between Kane and Hearst. Do you see any basis
for comparison?
Based on the article written by Sarah Street, three similarities between
Charles Foster Kane and William Randolph Hearst are their career
choice, power over the career of a female friend/love interest, and their
choice in places to live.
When it comes to career choice, both happened to go into publishing
newspapers and both were very successful. Subsequently, they both
lost a lot of wealth and power that stemmed from their publishing.
In the film, Kane basically controls his second wife’s career. Susan
Alexander, an actress, simply mentioned that she thought she’d be
singing instead of acting. Charles took that information and pushed her
to become an opera singer, even though she wasn’t very good at it and
would get bad reviews. William controlled the choices of Marion Davies.
According to the article, Hearst pushed her to take romantic roles even
though she was better suited for comedic roles. Neither women could
really oppose because both careers were “financed” by the men.
Lastly, Kane collected art from all over the world and used it to decorate
his mansion, Xanadu. Hearst also secluded himself in his castle located
in San Simeon, California. Hearts Castle’s opulence has been kept the
same for years to come and now offers tours exploring various portions
of the estate.
2. In the movie CITIZEN KANE (1941), the word "rosebud" is arguably one
of the best plant/payoffs in cinematic history. Please discuss:
a) what is a plant/payoff?
A plant/payoff is a line, item, and/or person that appears in the
beginning of a story that will more than likely contribute to the resolution
of said film.
b) the term "rosebud," including when it was planted (several plants) and how
it was paid off.
Rosebud was Kane’s sled as a child. During the opening, little Charles
was seen playing in the snow, presumably with his sled, Rosebud. Also
in the beginning, we watch the moment when Charles Kane dies, and
we can audibly hear Charles whisper his last word, “Rosebud”.
Those are two instances of a plant in the film. Rosebud is mentioned
throughout the film since the film centers around a detective trying to
find the meaning behind Charles Kane’s final word.
The payoff comes during the last scene of the film. As people are
cleaning out Kane’s mansion, deciding what is sellable and what should
be thrown out, we see a couple men throwing some of the rejected
items in to a furnace. The camera then focuses on a sled that was just
thrown in. It zooms into the print on the sled, and the word “Rosebud”
blackens as the wood it’s painted on begins to burn.
c) it's meaning/significance to the film. What do you think "rosebud" meant for
Kane?
I believe that Rosebud was a reminder of Kane’s childhood trauma. He
was obviously close to his mother, Mary, as he asks why she’s not
coming with him to New York when Mr. Thatcher comes to take him.
Mary also made some sort of comment to his father, Jim, about how
Charles is being taken away so Jim won’t hurt him anymore, so there
was obviously some sort of abuse going on there. Therefore, I feel that
at times when Kane felt some sort of loss, or emotional distress, he
would think back to this feeling of abandonment, and Rosebud was a
symbol of that.