Fridays class we talked about Existentialism, a topic I was never familiar with. Since then there has been a constant monologue picking it apart in my head. I dont know if that even makes sense but its true. I have thought about how much easier life would be if that was what we lived by and yet how much harder it would become. I feel like people dont really live the lives they want but rather the lives they need. We study not because we want to gain a greater grasp of knowledge but rather to get into a good college which would insure a greater chance of getting a job that pays more. I think thats completely wrong to do, in a sense your robbing yourself. One should want to learn in order to expand our horizons, to see differently, to grow, to travel, to understand and to create. We should pick a study that doesn't become a job for money but rather a career or quest of finding or becoming what we want. I feel like the attitude that non of this really matters would make people loosen up and finally do things that they have always dreamed of but never had the guts to do. It would allow them to live to their fullest and not worry about that if they dont make the right decision everything will fall apart. But on the other hand it would create complete chaos  and disorder. Nothing would get done for the benefit of the whole society but would only be done for the individual. Maybe what is needed is a society and a life that balances the two, that enforces moral codes and the need for an orderly society but also allows the freedom that everyone needs.  But I guess that doesn't lie in the society but rather in the individual. One must decided for themselves how to live their lives so that they can gain as much from this experience as they can, not because it matters to some sort of afterlife but rather because it matters now. One thing that I greatly disagree with the Existentialism theory  is that we do not matter, that after we die nothing from us will remain. I believe that each us effect everything. The people we meet, the places we go, the things we do, the actions we make  and the words we say never truly go away. They create ripples, effecting the places, the people and in the end the events of the world. Were all tied together in one way or another and the footsteps we make never truly go away.

" Our fingerprints never fade from the lives we touch."

I guess Existentialism is just another theory that shows us how no matter how hard we try to figure life out, it always has a way of surprising us and showing us that we are wrong  and that theirs more to it than we originally thought.

Today in class we re -watched certain scenes from the film and talked about them. I found this extremely helpful in seeing different parts of the film in a whole new way. For example the scene where the sled is being covered by snow. I knew immediately would serve some significants due to the fact that the camera lingered on the shot for quite some time, yet I was unsure of what the importance was. After watching the end and learning what Rosebud was I was able to see the scene in a whole new light. I felt that it was the best portrayal of  the loss of innocence, it was a gradually fading image of the sled, as our lives are a gradual loss of the innocence we once had. Another scene that really struck me was the one where Kane is having a tantrum , he looks like a caged animal. As if he's given all the wonders of the world yet they like the room dont fit just right.

Rosebud

I never expected the end of the movie to turn out as it had, but in the end it truly summed up the film in a very nice way. The theme of losing ones innocents was portrayed in a way where in was given to the viewers in parts so that they could feel as if they too were experiencing the same things as Kane. I feel like the comparison of people to flowers was one that greatly embodied that. Another strong theme in the movie was the human need for compassion. Kane's need for affection is one that makes the viewer see him as a child rather than a grown man and allows the viewer to feel a greater compassion for him. This was definitely one of the more memorable movies I have seen thus far not only because of its dynamic filming but for its strong message.

Citizen Kane has proven itself to be so much more than what I initially thought it would be as a film. I must say that I am pleasantly surprised. I feel like it has just a deep grasp on the psychology of different people. Kane is by far one of the most interesting characters, there a certain carefree attitude about him that I really like. I love the fact that he does everything he does for the pleasure of it not for the gain.  The movie is filmed so precisely where each scene is planned out to the exact time needed to convey the message. The movie is very memorable, one of those films that you cant shake off.

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I cant seem to shake of the scene where the sniper kills the man , for me that moment was so tragic because it meant absolutely nothing to the person who killed him. Meanwhile that person probably had a whole life , family and history behind him. I feel like this applies to so much, we are all somewhat alone in this world because in a sense nobody really understands our feeling or feels our pains or joys in the same way we do. I find that so tragic, the fact that to this person the man wasn't a person  but rather a target in a game.

All Quiet on the Western Front

I can truly say that this movie has been a pleasant surprise, even though it is a movie based on a time of war , its  message is much deeper than just battle. The movie deals with issues of the human phychology that take watcher out of their comfort zone and bring them to the harsh reality that people who have experienced war face. Amongst the well developed characters is also a story line worth following. Many of the most important realizations of the film are hidden and one must look between the lines of text to find them.