Argumentative Synthesis Of The Simpsons And Parody

Argumentative Synthesis of The Simpsons and Parody Parodies, today, can be found just about everywhere in literacy and in some forms of media; TV or internet. A parody is a literary term meaning, an exaggerated impression of another literary works’ style. Prominent examples of parodies are found in the film industry. The Simpsons is a great example of a show that uses parodies. The Simpsons usually has parodies of films, most conspicuous example is the film Citizen Kane. In the episode Rosebud, the use of symbols and cinematography creates a parody of the classic film Citizen Kane to appeal to many demographics. The use of identical or similar symbols in The Simpsons episode Rosebud is one of the several ways that the producer can appeal to multiple demographics through parodies. For an example,
the storyline behind both sources is the lost childhood, for Citizen Kane, the character in focus lost a sled; whereas in Rosebud, Mr.
Burns lost bear. In Rosebud, Mr. Burns left his home to live with a very rich man. By doing so he left his bear, Bobo. This symbolizes his lost childhood because at old age, he was only thinking about his bear. To him, his wealth had no real value compared to his “lost childhood”. In Citizen Kane, Kane also left his childhood to live with a rich person, however, the difference between Kane and Mr. Burns is that Kane didn’t want to leave his parents. Kane realized towards the end of his life that he missed something important in his childhood, Rosebud, his sled. The manner of which these symbols are portrayed and the time it takes the viewer to figure out the symbols in both Rosebud and Citizen Kane contrast greatly. For an example, in Rosebud, the producers explicitly spells the symbol out. In the beginning, Mr. Burns dreamed about his bear, however, the viewers don’t find out about Bobo until the part that shows Mr. Burns’ childhood. In Citizen Kane, Orson Wells, the director, doesn’t show the viewer what Rosebud is until the last minute of the movie. Using similar symbols, the producers of The Simpsons moved past
just an allusion to Citizen Kane and its rather serious tone to give it a brighter vibe. This appeals to those who appreciate literature at the same time also interests the usual viewers. By watching Rosebud, the literacy viewers can connect to Citizen Kane and enjoy the episode more so that they would if the episode wasn’t a parody. At the same time, the show connects to the casual audience to prevent them from being alienated. What draws a demographic to a show is the shows’ ability to connect with the viewer, the more diverse the type of connections are, the more types of demographics that are attracted to the show. Another example of where parody is created by The Simpsons in Rosebud is cinematography. In the film Citizen Kane, there are a lot of places where the camera moves slowly in a direction to give the viewer suspense of what is to come. In Rosebud, the opening shot shows the camera moving slowly up a gate that has multiple signs, until it reached the target. In comparison, Citizen Kane also has a similar opening. However, in contrast to Rosebud, the film does not have a “Free Kittens” sign. The use of this sign is to create a parodic vibe to the episode rather than create a mirror image. Through the use of camera movements to show what the parody is about and by creating an eerie introduction scene, the producers of The Simpsons alluded to Citizen Kane, which in return allows more demographics to enjoy the episode.