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Lesson 8 of 12
  • Year 11
  • Edexcel

Comparing attitudes to identity and longing in the Edexcel Belonging anthology

I can explain similarities and differences between poets' viewpoints.

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View unit
Lesson 8 of 12
New
New
  • Year 11
  • Edexcel

Comparing attitudes to identity and longing in the Edexcel Belonging anthology

I can explain similarities and differences between poets' viewpoints.

Copyrighted materials: to view and download resources from this lesson, you’ll need to be in the UK and

Copyrights help

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Chingonyi, Dharker and Kunial's poetry all appear to show a yearning for a sense of belonging.
  2. They also explore the links between belonging, dislocation and individual identity.
  3. Dharker's speaker yearns to escape her current life by becoming someone else who is more confident and 'cool'.
  4. Chingonyi's poem feels more reflective, considering how different life may have been if the speaker had not left Zambia.
  5. Kunial takes a philosophical approach to thinking about identity and belonging, exploring the fine line between them.

Keywords

  • Tenuous - weak, slight, not strong or substantial

  • Intercultural identity - identity influenced by multiple cultures or ethnic backgrounds

  • Thematically - relating to the central ideas or messages in a poem

  • Yearning - deep longing or desire, often with an emotional intensity

  • Attitudes - beliefs or opinions towards something, typically influencing behaviour or decisions

Common misconception

All three poems explore conflict and belonging related to cultural identity because all three poets have an intercultural identity.

All three poets have an intercultural identity and this is reflected in many of their poems. However here, only 'Kumukanda' explores these ideas directly. Dharker focuses on identity and growing up; Kunial explores belonging in a more abstract way.


To help you plan your year 11 English lesson on: Comparing attitudes to identity and longing in the Edexcel Belonging anthology, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

You could print out some random lines from each poem and have students sort them for a starter activity. This will encourage them to associate each poem with its big ideas/messages and help them to engage with key quotes.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need a copy of 'Us' (Kunial), 'Kumukanda' (Chingonyi) and 'In Wales, wanting to be Italian' (Dharker) - all of which can be found in the Edexcel GCSE Poetry Anthology (Belonging cluster).

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of peer pressure or bullying

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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