Morgan Link

Period: 5

Hamlet Creative Assignment Reflection (Grade 12)

The assignment I chose is the Hamlet creative assignment. In this

assignment, I created a parallel universe where Ophelia from Hamlet and

Blanche from A Streetcar Named Desire meet in a mental hospital. I selected

this artifact because I enjoyed writing the story. It allowed me to use my

imagination to make an important point that woman should not waste their

lives pleasing others, particularly men. Rather, people, regardless of gender,

should focus on character and goals. I also picked this piece because it was

not just about writing a creative story but also included a reflection. The

reflection portion of the assignment allowed me to analyze and explain

Ophelia and Blanches connection in depth.

I think this short story was strong because it demonstrated the

similarities between two infamous female characters in great literature in an

interesting and entertaining way. Even though these characters are from

different worlds and different time periods, they are remarkably similar. It

was very amusing to have them meet and discuss what they learned from

very similar life choices. Surprisingly, womens roles had not changed very

much from Ophelias time to Blanches era. Having the two characters meet

in a mental hospital highlighted how similar the characters were. I did a

good job using background information from both stories to give context to

the setting. Even though the women spoke in different ways and were used
to different surroundings, by placing them in an environment where they

meet, I was able to demonstrate the characters similarities in a creative and

innovative way.

If I could improve the assignment, I would develop Ophelias past more

fully. Although she is prevalent in the story, the artifact is more focused on

Blanches mental derangement. I would have liked to probe whether Ophelia

would have had advice to help Blanche. Even though Blanche appears as

the older woman in the story who shares the wisdom of her experiences, she

comes from a much later time period than Ophelia. It would be interesting to

explore more of what Ophelia had learned from her experiences with the

men in her life.

This short story shows my growth as a creative writer. Traditionally, it is

difficult for me to write a creative assignment with little to no guidelines.

Before writing this piece, I had never thought of merging two separate

stories characters into one story. It was fun to do it. Overall, I am pleased

with the result of my imagination in this creative assignment. Although it

was predominantly a creative piece, I think it created a cautionary tale about

living to please others rather than concentrating on personal goals.