Timed Critical Response

Analytical Response to Text
By: Amber Copp

Literature and films use artistic mediums to get a certain message across to their audiences. In film they use camera angles, lighting, shadowing and other dramatic effects to help them make their message clearer. Orson Welles was the director, main actor and helped produce the script for the film Citizen Kane. He had full artistic control over the film so his message would get across just how he wanted it to. Orson Welles was trying to let his audience know that when you can’t take responsibility for yourself you try to take responsibility for others.
Orson Welles played Charles Kane in the film; he was an American figure who was attempting to find love and happiness. He failed to do this because he was not capable of understanding what true love and happiness was. In the film there was a scene where Charles mother was talking to the banker who was going to take care of Charles for then on. Orson Welles used an effect where the mother and the banker where in the foreground but what you could clearly see Charles in the background playing outside in the snow. From what you could see Charles had no care in the world, he was truly happy. That was the only time in the movie where Charles was truly happy. He spent the rest of the film trying to make other people happy and hoping it would make him feel they same way he did when he was back at home playing in the snow.
Charles Kane’s second wife said to Charles when they first met that her mother always wanted her to be an opera singer. So Charles made it his responsibility to make her a successful opera singer even though she was not very talented. He built her an opera house; he paid people to be her audience, he did everything he could to try and make her a success. He put all his time and effort in to this idea even though he didn’t even actually know it didn’t make her happy. She never wanted all this and it made her unhappy, and strained their marriage. Charles Kane didn’t find his love or happiness in this whole ordeal.
The character Charles Kane was lost the whole film trying to find the love and happiness he use to have. He lost all control of his life as a child when his mother sent him off to live with the banker. He didn’t have the choice whether to go or stay, so he spent the rest of his life trying to control other people and their happiness. He didn’t take responsibility for his own life so he tried making other people’s lives his responsibility and with this action he lost his capability to find what he truly wanted. His last words before his death were “Rosebud”, which was the name of his sled from when he was a child. This symbolizes all the feeling he was searching for all his life and never found. It was the feelings he wish he could experience again; it was what he wanted for his life, it was the love and happiness he longed for.
Charles Kane never did find what he was looking for but before he died he realized what he was missing; he was missing “Rosebud”. Orson Welles did a good job portraying his idea/message. When you can’t take responsibility for yourself you take responsibility for others. It’s a simple and relatable message. The film Citizen Kane had many artistic components that made the message get across clearly. When you lose control of your own life or reasonability we try to control others to make up for what you have lost.