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Year 10 - English

Winsome Pinnock on the characters in 'Leave Taking'

Leave Taking: a sense of belonging

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils start their exploration of Winsome Pinnock's play, 'Leave Taking'. They first learn about the play's context of 1980s Britain and the Windrush generation before then reading and exploring the full play. They finally explore themes and characters before working on essay writing.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to use Winsome Pinnock's insights to explore and develop your understanding of the characters in 'Leave Taking'.

Key Notes

  • Pinnock describes Enid as strict but protective, trying to prepare her daughters for a harsh world.
  • Del and Viv are complex characters inspired by Pinnock's love of strong female roles.
  • Pinnock explains that characters sometimes act against expectations to support each other.
  • Pinnock says Brod and Mai show how the community supports and guides the younger generation.
  • Del reading Enid's palm and embracing Obeah shows her empathy and continuation of tradition.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • hostile: unfriendly, threatening, or unwelcoming
  • resistance: fighting back against something unfair or trying to stop something you disagree with
  • assert: to speak or act confidently so people know what you think or who you are
  • discrimination: unfair or negative treatment of someone because of their race, gender, religion, or another part of their identity
  • circumspect: wary and unwilling to take risks

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Enid and other immigrants came to Britain fully aware of the challenges and were prepared for discrimination.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.

Pinnock describes Enid as strict but protective, trying to prepare her daughters for a harsh world. Del and Viv are complex characters inspired by Pinnock's love of strong female roles.

2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'hostile'

unfriendly, threatening, or unwelcoming.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: Enid and other immigrants came to Britain fully aware of the challenges and were prepared for discrimination. Correction: Pinnock explains that many, like Enid, saw themselves as British subjects and expected a "homecoming", so the hostility and racism they faced were a shock.

More Lessons In This Unit

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