Hastings, Sophia

English 10 H-Red
5-23-16
1. Overall, I enjoyed Hamlet. Although I struggled with Shakespearean language and
had trouble understanding the play without footnotes, I enjoyed the themes and
characterization that Shakespeare included in the tragedy. I didnt particularly like that
Hamlet took so long to avenge his fathers death, although his indecisiveness contributed
to the plot and Hamlets descent into madness. I still do not understand why some
playwrights include strange connections between characters and their mothers, but I
suppose I have gotten used to it now. I also think I relate to Hamlet, minus the insanity
and want to kill a family member. Hamlet seems to relate to my other classmates as well
because of his angst and sarcastic attitude.
2. I believe in timeless themes, especially themes in The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince
of Denmark. I really enjoyed the theme of reality versus illusion because that theme also
relates to modern life and modern literature. Many stories consist of a character with
some type of facade, even if the character does not descend into madness. People in real
life also tend to mask their true selves, especially if they try to fit in.
3. Overall, I have learned that I need structure to write. Brainstorming, even though
time-consuming, tends to help me get my thoughts in order, and writing a thesis in boxes
really helps me. I also work better if periodic due dates occur and peers edit my paper
because I have trouble finding the flaws in my work but not in the work of others. I think
I still need to improve variation of sentence structure and I would like to have a more
mature feeling to my writing. Additionally, being verbs virtually never show up in my
writing now. Ive actually found myself rewording a sentence when I text or write
something informally.

4. By taking time and brainstorming, along with drawing funnels, I focused more on
Shakespeares purpose, rather than just my own interpretation. I also had an easier time
writing and perfecting my thoughts when I already had them written down on paper. This
time around, I did more background research and got a better understanding of revenge
tragedies and of literary symbols. Using a step-by-step process seemed to help my writing
and made it flow together, rather than jumping from certain places to others.