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Year 10 - English

Winsome Pinnock's 'Leave Taking': the character of Del

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 explain how Pinnock presents the character of Del, and explores the theme of identity through her character.

Key Notes

  • Unlike Viv, Del appears uninterested in obeah and her culture at the start of the play.
  • Del feels her opportunities in life are hampered by the fact she is a second generation immigrant.
  • Del struggles to see where she fits in with both her family and Britain.
  • At the end of the play, Del's calling to obeah could reflect a sense of understanding about her place in the world.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • first generation immigrant: A person who was born in one country, but moves to live and establish their life in another country.
  • second generation immigrant: People who have grown up in a country that at least one of their parents was not born in.
  • discrimination: Unjust treatment of people based on certain characteristics. For example, race, gender, age.
  • calling: A strong urge or impulse towards a particular career, or path in life.
  • home: A place where you live. The word home is often connected to ideas of belonging, and security.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Del is uninterested in obeah until Mai realises it is her calling.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

Unlike Viv, Del appears uninterested in obeah and her culture at the start of the play. Del feels her opportunities in life are hampered by the fact she is a second generation immigrant.

2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'first generation immigrant'

A person who was born in one country, but moves to live and establish their life in another country.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: Del is uninterested in obeah until Mai realises it is her calling. Correction: Del's interest in obeah is foreshadowed from Scene One onwards.

More Lessons In This Unit

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