Winsome Pinnock’s ‘Leave Taking’: the character of Enid
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explore how Pinnock presents Enid’s past and Enid’s present.
Key learning points
- Enid faced hardship growing up in Jamaica.
- Enid experienced a strong sense of community growing up in Jamaica.
- Enid’s life in England is still characterised by hardship.
- Arguably, Enid is more isolated in Britain than in Jamaica.
Keywords
Hardship - A synonym for difficulty or suffering.
Destitute - A synonym for extreme poverty
Isolated - Being alone, without friends, help or support.
Common misconception
Enid's life in Jamaica was terrible. It wasn't hard for her to leave.
Enid faced limited opportunities in Jamaica, but leaving also meant she forever altered her relationships with her family and community.
Teacher tip
Enid's life in Jamaica is presented as impoverished. Consider how you will engage with the reasons for this, articulated by Brod as "colonialism. Imperialism. Vampirism. They [the British colonisers] suck blood outta the island, suck them dry".
Equipment
You need access to a copy of Winsome Pinnock's 'Leave Taking' published by Nick Hern Books.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.In Scene Two of 'Leave Taking', Enid tells Del: "I work jobs seven days a week."
Q2.In 'Leave Taking', what is true of both Brod and Enid?
Q3.In Scene Four of 'Leave Taking', Enid tells Viv, "I come from the family in the whole a Jamaica."
Q4.In Scene Two of 'Leave Taking', Brod talks about Jamaica's poverty. He says, "And why they [Jamaicans] poor? Because a . Imperialism."
Q5.Pinnock's parents migrated from Jamaica to England. They faced hostility. In her introduction to 'Leave Taking', Pinnock says her parents "didn't and rarely discussed hardship."
Q6.In her introduction to 'Leave Taking', Pinnock says her parents and their generation "had been indoctrinated by a colonialist that lionised (celebrated) all things British."
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.In Scene Eight of 'Leave Taking', what do we find out about Viv's future plans?
Q2.In Scene Four of 'Leave Taking', Enid tells Viv that, when she was growing up in Jamaica, people used to make fun of her family. Why did they make fun of them?
Q3.In Scene Two of 'Leave Taking', Enid says to Brod, "I proud a my girls."
Q4.In Scene Eight of 'Leave Taking', Enid compares the rural poverty she faced in Jamaica to the poverty she faces in England. She says, "In a way, we poorer than them. Them all in it ."
Q5.In Scene Three of 'Leave Taking', Enid recalls a church service in Jamaica. She says, "That service was ."
Q6.In 'Leave Taking', how does Pinnock present Enid's life in England, compared to her life in Jamaica?
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Winsome Pinnock’s ‘Leave Taking’: the character of Enid, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Winsome Pinnock’s ‘Leave Taking’: the character of Enid, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 English lessons from the Leave Taking: a sense of belonging unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.