| Term Paper Title | Citizen Kane |
| # of Words | 1789 |
| # of Pages (250 words per page double spaced) | 7.16 |
Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane: Hearst or Welles
“Any man who has the brains to think and the nerve to
act for the benefit of the people of the country a
radical by those who are content with stagnation and
willing to endure disaster.”(48 Williams) This quote
applies to two men, who in their lives were enemies, but
were more alike than either thought possible. Two men
whose names are recognizable even today, years after
both of their deaths. Two kings of the trade who used
different methods in trying to exploit the other.
William Randolph Hearst and Orson Welles were both
powerful men in history in their own right. One was a
pioneer of journalism, while the other revolutionized
the movie industry. The film Citizen Kane, one of Orson
Welles’ and the film industries greatest
accomplishments, could be said was a film that used the
main character to exploit the personality of Hearst,
which can easily be pointed out, but it was also a film
depicting the personality of Orson Welles, as well. “It
is hard to see one’s self as to look backwards without
turning around.”(57 Williams)
William Randolph Hearst was born on April 29, 1863.
His father was a multi-millionaire miner named George
Hearst. His mother, Phoebe Hearst, was a school teacher
from Missouri. George Hearst became a multi-millionaire
by traveling through the West and becoming partners in
three of the largest mining discoveries in American
history.
As a repayment of a gambling debt, George Hearst, in
1880, accepted a small newspaper. During the
mid-1800’s, William Randolph Hearst, now a student at
Harvard University, wrote to his father demanding to
take over the newspaper. His father, on the other hand,
preferred William to manage his mining industries, but
William overlooked his fathers wishes and took over the
San Francisco Examiner in 1887. William Hearst showed a
lot of adaptability and was determined to make the
Examiner popular and a big selling newspaper. Hearst
used his wealth to create a very powerful newspaper. He
hired the best writers and acquired the best equipment
possible at the time. He went on to publish and expose
corruption and stories filled with drama and
inspiration, or sensationalism.
In the late 1800’s, Hearst ended up into a
head-to-head circulation war with his former mentor
Joseph Pulitzer, owner of the New York World. To
increase their popularity, they both started to include
about the Cuban insurrection. Many stories in both
newspapers greatly exaggerated their claims to make
their stories even more sensational, such as stories
publishing the images of Spanish troops placing Cubans
into concentration camps where they suffered and died
from disease or hunger. Hearst beat out Pulitzer in the
circulation race, when he published a story of how the
Cubans sunk the U.S.S. Maine. This was only days after
Hearst was quoted saying that if you want war, you will
get one. This kind of publicity for the American
entrance into war, caused Congress to declare war on
Spain. This showed the world the power that one man
had.
Years went by, and Hearst met and soon married a want
to be star named Marion Davies. Marion Davies would
have never been known if she was never married to
Hearst. With his money, he tried to make her a star,
but the talent just was not there.
Orson Welles was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on May
6, 1915. His father was a well-to-do inventor, his
mother a beautiful concert pianist. He was gifted in
many arts, such as playing the piano, doing magic, and
painting, as a child. Soon, however, two hardships hit
young Orson. His mother died, when he was only eight
years old. He ended up having to travel with his
father, but it did not last long forever. His father
died only four years later. He became the ward of
Chicago’s Dr. Maurice Bernstein.
In 1931, he graduated from Todd School in Woodstock,
Illinois. Several years ...Read entire document
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