Starter quiz
- Match the resolution for each character of 'Leave Taking' to their name.
- Enid⇔resolves her conflict with Del; expresses her vulnerability ✓
- Del⇔becomes an obeah woman; prepares for the birth of her child ✓
- Viv⇔is going to pursue Black Studies at university ✓
- Mai⇔finds out she has a terminal illness ✓
- In her introduction to 'Leave Taking', Pinnock discusses the heroine of the play. Who does Pinnock name as the heroine?
- Mai
- Del
- Viv
- Enid ✓
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- In Scene Four of 'Leave Taking', Enid recalls when she and her future husband were in Jamaica, preparing to migrate to England. How did they feel before migrating?
- proud ✓
- despairing
- hopeless
- excited ✓
- optimistic ✓
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- In her introduction to 'Leave Taking', what words does Pinnock use to describe the feelings many migrants felt when they relocated to Britain post World War Two?
- awe
- security
- shock ✓
- disappointment ✓
- patriotism
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- In Scene Eight of 'Leave Taking', Enid turns to Del for support. She is overwhelmed by feelings of grief for her mother, and despair at Britain's hostility. She says, "I been ______ too long, Del."
- 'fighting' ✓
- In Scene Eight of 'Leave Taking', Enid tells Del how she feels when she sees her daughters face racial discrimination: "it make me want to __________ the place down."
- 'tear' ✓
Exit quiz
- A pupil argues, "‘Leave Taking’ is a social __________ on the specific Black British experience."
- 'commentary' ✓
- A pupil was asked to describe the ending of the play 'Leave Taking' for the characters of Viv and Del. What words might they have used?
- hostile
- unknown
- unhappy
- hopeless
- hopeful ✓
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- In 'Leave Taking's' intro, Pinnock says, "I wanted to make Enid the heroine of the play because I couldn’t recall ever seeing such a character - a hospital cleaner - as the lead in a __________ play."
- 'British' ✓
- When writing about 'Leave Taking', it is important to include context. Each of these words helps unpack and explore 'Leave Taking's' context. Match them to their definitions.
- social commentary⇔a text which explores and critiques particular problems in society ✓
- colonisation⇔when a country establishes control over another and exploits it ✓
- Commonwealth⇔an association of 56 independent countries - many used to be colonies ✓
- transatlantic slave trade⇔whereby slave traders enslaved African people and transported them ✓
- crown colony⇔a colony which was controlled by the British Crown ✓
- In 'Leave Taking's' intro, Pinnock says, "I specifically wanted to write about the black British experience as __________from African American culture".
- 'distinct' ✓
- In 'Leave Taking's' intro, Pinnock says that producers often seemed to think Black British experiences and African American experiences were "______".
- 'interchangeable' ✓
Worksheet
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Presentation
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Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Pinnock wrote 'Leave Taking’ to share the “distinct” Black British experience.
- The character of Enid speaks to the complex history and relationship Jamaica and Britain share.
- Arguably, both Viv and Del struggle in different ways with being a second generation Black British immigrant.
- Arguably, both Viv and Del struggle with being second generation immigrants and Black British citizens.
- Arguably, the ending of the play is ambiguous but hopeful for both the Del and Viv.
Common misconception
Viv, Del and Enid are not British citizens.
All three women are British citizens. Enid relocated from one part of the Commonwealth to another. During this post war period, this ensured legal status in Britain. Viv and Del were born in Britain.
Keywords
Social commentary - a text which explores and critiques particular problems in society
Colonisation - when a country establishes control over another country, exploiting it for economic gain
Commonwealth - an international association of 56 independent countries many of which used to be British colonies
Transatlantic slave trade - whereby slave traders enslaved African people and transported them, often to America
Crown colony - a colony which was controlled by the British Crown with a governor representing the Crown in the colony
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