Starter quiz
- When and where is 'Leave Taking' set?
- 1960s Britain
- 1970s Britain
- 1980s Britain ✓
- 1990s Britain
- 2010s Britain
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- Why did Enid, the heroine of 'Leave Taking', migrate to England?
- She wanted to join her sister who already lived in London
- Viv wanted the family to relocate so she could go to university
- She and her husband dreamed of a better life in Britain ✓
- She wanted to join Mai who had already migrated
- Migration served as one way out of rural poverty ✓
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- In Scene Two, Del reminds Enid about a work Christmas party Enid attended. What happened at this party?
- Del was sick and Enid had to clear it up and then leave
- Enid's boss wouldn't allow her to attend the Christmas party
- Enid's husband faced racial discrimination at the party
- One of Enid's colleagues was sick and Enid was told to clear it up ✓
- Brod turned up to the party drunk and embarrassed Enid
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- In Scene Two, Brod and Enid discuss one of their mutual friends, Gullyman. What does Brod say about this character?
- He is angry at the "police vans hunting" him down because he is Black
- Like Brod, he is angry at having to pay to become a British citizen
- He is moving back to Jamaica because Brod encouraged him to
- He migrated to England with nothing, and slowly secured economic stability ✓
- He was the victim of a racist attack ✓
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- Pinnock includes a number of minor, off stage characters in 'Leave Taking'. Match each character to what we know about them.
- Gullyman⇔friend of Brod and Enid's; the subject of a racist attack ✓
- British Pastor⇔Enid invites him over; Brod criticises him for lack of fervour ✓
- Pastor Chully Johnson⇔a Pastor who lives in Jamaica that Enid and Brod recall fondly ✓
- Mooma⇔Enid's mother, with whom she had a difficult relationship ✓
- Mai's son⇔a young man who is not comfortable with his British identity ✓
- In Scene Four of 'Leave Taking', Enid tells Viv that "sometime I feel like a cat chasing him own tail. Going round and round and getting ______ but dizzy".
- 'nowhere' ✓
Exit quiz
- In Scene Two of 'Leave Taking', we hear out about a character called Gullyman. How could you refer to him in an analytical essay?
- a minor character ✓
- an insignificant character
- an off stage character ✓
- you can't refer to him because he isn't actually in the play
- as one of the cast of six characters
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- In Scene Six of 'Leave Taking', Mai tells Del that her son "always used to tell me how he never feel even a little bit ______".
- 'British' ✓
- Some people argue 'Leave Taking' serves as a social commentary. What does it mean to be a social commentary?
- A text which ignores particular problems in society
- A text which critiques particular problems in society ✓
- A text which decreases particular problems in society
- A text which celebrates particular problems in society
- A text which explores particular problems in society ✓
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- In Scene Two of 'Leave Taking', Del recalls Enid's work Christmas party, saying that, after one of the nurses threw up, "in front of everyone, matron ______ you to clean it up"
- 'tells' ✓
- In her introduction to 'Leave Taking', how does Pinnock describe the Britain that her parents migrated to in 1959?
- often prosperous
- often cold
- often welcoming
- often hostile ✓
- often angry
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- In her introduction to 'Leave Taking', Pinnock tells us that her mother and father divorced at a time when "there was still stigma attached to divorce." What does the word stigma mean?
- anger
- shame ✓
- excitement
- taboo
- unhappiness
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Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- 'Leave Taking' could be interpreted as social commentary on 1980s Britain, particularly racist and classist attitudes.
- It could be argued that difficulties the characters face are based on the colour of their skin and their social class.
- Arguably, Enid places so much value on education as she believes it is a way of escaping their social class
- Pinnock includes two minor, off stage characters to develop her social commentary.
- Pinnock’s exploration of racism could reference racial tensions felt in Britain after increased migration following WW2.
Common misconception
There is no point talking about the minor characters in a play - they are not important.
Each character, no matter how seemingly insignificant, is crafted by the writer and placed in the text for a specific purpose. It is your job to consider what their purpose is.
Keywords
Intersectionality - a term describing how certain social categories (for example ethnicity, class, gender) can combine to create unique combinations of disadvantage or advantage
Social commentary - a text which explores and critiques particular problems in society
Racism - the unjust treatment of people based on the colour of their skin
Classism - unjust treatment of people based on their social class
Ethnicity - a way of grouping people who share certain attributes for example ancestry or language
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