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Year 11
Eduqas

The presentation of the matriarchy in Winsome Pinnock's 'Leave Taking'

I can explain the ways in which ‘Leave Taking’ is a social commentary on the experiences of women.

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New
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Year 11
Eduqas

The presentation of the matriarchy in Winsome Pinnock's 'Leave Taking'

I can explain the ways in which ‘Leave Taking’ is a social commentary on the experiences of women.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. ‘Leave Taking’ is dedicated to Pinnock’s mother.
  2. ‘Leave Taking’ starts with two epigraphs from two feminist critics.
  3. Enid, Mai, Mooma and Del are all presented as strong matriarchs.
  4. Enid, Mai, Mooma and Del’s experiences could reflect the expectations of strength placed on Caribbean matriarchs.
  5. ‘Leave Taking’ could be interpreted as social commentary on the experiences of women.

Keywords

  • Feminist critic - an academic who explores how texts present the role and place of women in society

  • Social commentary - a text which explores and critiques particular problems in society

  • Matriarch - a woman who rules, leads or controls a family

  • Epigraph - a short quotation at the beginning of a text which suggests some of its important themes

  • Centrality - the quality of being the most important or significant to something, or being central to it

Common misconception

'Leave Taking' is a commentary on the experiences of all women.

Pinnock presents the unique stories of her created characters. The centrality of women suggests she is making some sort of social comment, but she is not generalising about every single woman's experience of the world.

Alice Walker and Simone de Beauvoir are both important and controversial figures. Consider if your pupils will know of them, and how you will manage (and time) the discussion to focus on their relevance to the interpretation of 'Leave Taking'.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You need access to a copy of Winsome Pinnock's 'Leave Taking' published by Nick Hern Books.

Content guidance

  • Contains strong language
  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
A matriarch is a woman who rules, leads or controls a family. Which of the characters in 'Leave Taking' are presented as matriarchs?
Correct answer: Enid
Viv
Correct answer: Mooma
Correct answer: Mai
Q2.
In 'Leave Taking', why is the character of Mai important to the Caribbean community in North London?
for her knowledge of the naturalisation process
Correct answer: she is someone people turn to in times of crisis
for her support of Brod, and others like him
for her willingness to take in other people's children
Correct answer: for her skills as an obeah woman
Q3.
In Scene Four of 'Leave Taking', Enid tells Viv things about her mother. What do we find out?
She stole some stockings from her uncle's wife
Correct answer: She would sometimes disappear to spend time in secret places alone
Correct answer: She brought up her children in rural poverty
Enid used to call her "Miss Bible Drawers"
Correct answer: She completed hard manual labour every day of her life
Q4.
In Scene Five of 'Leave Taking', Viv offers to help Del with the her baby when it is born. How does Del respond?
She accepts both the help and the money
She accepts the help, on the condition that Viv moves in with her and Mai
She says she doesn't need help because she is getting back together with Roy
Correct answer: She rejects it saying she needs to get on with her own life without Viv's help
She gets down on her knees and thanks her
Q5.
In 'Leave Taking', the characters of Del and Enid are often present in conflict. How does Pinnock draw attention to their similarities?
Their position as obeah women
Correct answer: Their determination to bring up their children by themselves
Their rejection of their cultural roots
Correct answer: Their strength and independence
Their protectiveness over Brod
Q6.
In Scene Six of 'Leave Taking', Mai says of her clients, "expect me to reach into their souls and stick the broken pieces back together. They have sucked me dry. [...] My dead."
Correct Answer: battery

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Who does Pinnock dedicate 'Leave Taking' to?
Madani Younis
Simone de Beauvoir
Alice Walker
Enid
Correct answer: her mother
Q2.
In her introduction to 'Leave Taking', Pinnock says that when she re-reads her play now, she sees her "younger self consulting with my ...".
Correct Answer: mother
Q3.
In Scene Six of 'Leave Taking', Enid says to Mai, "I feel a pressure all round here. Like something sitting on my chest, the life outta me."
Correct Answer: crush, "crush", Crush, Crush., crush.
Q4.
In her introduction to 'Leave Taking', Pinnock says, "my mother became a to four young children at a time when there was still stigma attached to divorce."
Correct Answer: single parent, single Parent, Single parent, Single Parent., single parent.
Q5.
An is a short quotation at the beginning of a text which suggests some of its important themes.
Correct Answer: epigraph, "epigraph", Epigraph, Epigraph., epigraph.
Q6.
Pinnock begins 'Leave Taking' with two epigraphs from which two feminist critics?
Correct answer: Alice Walker
Nada Pinnock-Graham
Rupert Brooke
Nanny of the Maroons
Correct answer: Simone de Beauvoir