Hello, my name is Miss Grant, I'm so glad that you have decided to learn with me today.

We are in the Modern Text first study unit, and our modern text is, "Leave Taking".

We're gonna be looking at some important context to help our understanding of the play today.

I can't wait to hear all of your fantastic ideas.

I'm gonna be your support and guide as we work through today's lesson together.

Let's get started.

By the end of this lesson, you're going to be able to explain the racism presented in "Leave Taking", and explore characters' reactions to it.

We're going to read the end of scene two, there are a number of different racist incidents in this scene, and not all the characters react in the same way, and we're gonna explore some of their reactions to it and what they can tell us about their character.

There are some key words which are going to be referenced throughout this lesson, which are gonna help unlock the learning.

They are discrimination, which means the unjust treatment of people based on certain characteristics.

For example, race, gender, age.

Racism, discrimination against people based on their race or ethnicity.

Eurocentric.

This means when there is a focus on European culture or history, ignoring or excluding cultures and history from the wider world.

Nanny of the Maroons.

She was an 18th century leader of the Jamaican Maroons.

She led formerly enslaved Africans against British colonialists.

If you'd like to spend some more time with our keywords and their definitions, pause the video now.

Our lesson outline for today, we're gonna start with the idea of racism, and we're gonna explore that in scene two.

And then we're going to finish off by looking at the characters of Enid and Del.

Let's start off with racism in scene two of "Leave Taking".

I'd like you to begin by discussing what are some of the connotations of the word, home? Pause the video and make a mind map exploring some of the connotations of the word, home.

Pause the video now.

Some lovely discussions there about this just monosyllabic word, quite a simple word in some ways, but actually very complex in terms of its meaning and its connotations.

Here are some ideas you might have had.

Home.

Maybe it connotes security, feeling secure, protective, maybe you're protective of your home and feel that your home protects you.

Safe, you feel safe within your home, and that it should protect you from some of the outside world.

And a sense of belonging, your home is where you return to, where you belong.

Now in scene to of "Leave Taking", Pinnock looks at home through a different lens by examining the racism that the characters face in London, their home.

Brod explains how a friend of his became mentally unwell after a racist attack.

Brod questions Viv's Eurocentric education.

Del talks about the police targeting black people.

And Del reminds Enid about a painful episode of workplace discrimination.

So we looked at that idea of home earlier, and the idea of what it should mean, and we can see that Pinnock here looks at it in a different lens because she's examining the racism that the characters face in their hometown.

Here's a section of dialogue from Del, from scene two.

She says, "You", mum, Enid, she's talking to her mum, "You don't see the police vans hunting us down, or the managers who treat us like the lowest of the low.

You're too busy bowing and scraping to your beloved England".

Now this first section where Del says to Enid, "You don't see the police vans hunting us down", Del is perhaps referencing the ability of the police to stop and search those they suspected of a crime, and those they suspected of being about to commit a crime.

And in the 1980s, this power was used disproportionately against young men who were not white, did not require the police to have reasonable grounds to suspect a crime, and it did not have to be recorded.

I'd like you to discuss, let's look at this quotation in a bit more detail, what does the word hunting reveal about hoe Del feels even in London, her home? Pause the video and discuss this question now.

Really nice to explore this word, hunting, just as you explored that word, home, at the beginning of the lesson.

So this is a metaphor where Del reveals she feels like prey in the face of a dangerous predator, the police.

So this verb is used very specifically by Pinnock to convey how Del feels on the streets of London, sometimes feels on the streets of London.

Look at this next section of the quotation.

She talks about the managers who treat us like the lowest of the low.

And Del is perhaps referencing here the racist discrimination she experiences in her job.

She also says that her manager treats her as if she can't speak English.

And finally, she then turns to her mother, "You're too busy bowing and scraping to your beloved England".

I'd like you to discuss what do the verbs, bowing and scraping suggest about how Del feels about her mother's behaviour? Pause the video and discuss this question now.

Some lovely discussions there looking at this moment of conflict in scene two.

Her bowing has connotations of servitude, I heard a lot of people talking about this word, bowing.

So Del is angry that her mother seems to feel inferior to other British citizens.

It also suggests gratitude, which maybe is a source of Del's anger.

Now to scrape at something is a hard and thankless task.

It's hard to scrape away at something.

It's not quick work.

And this verb is used because it maybe suggests that Del perceives her mother's life in England as a hard, thankless task.

So Del is angry here with her mother, but she is also appreciating how difficult Enid's life is.

Now, Pinnock writes, "Those of Enid's generation had been indoctrinated by colonialist education that lionised, celebrated, all things British".

She writes this in the introduction to her play.

So those of Enid's generation, of which includes her mother, have been indoctrinated by a colonialist education that lionised, celebrated, all things British.

I'd like you to discuss how does Del speak to this education here? Just in this last moment of this quotation, "You're too busy bowing and scraping to your beloved England".

Pause the video and discuss this question now.

Some lovely discussions there, tying together some contextual details, some autobiographical detail with the text itself.

So despite the hardships, she, Brod, and her daughters face, Enid is devoted to England and defends it.

She's proud of the life they have, particularly Viv doing very well at school.

And perhaps this is Pinnock showing that those of Enid's generation, the indoctrination, the colonialist education that they had received in Jamaica, England, Britain had colonised Jamaica, that that has a lasting effect because here Enid is still bowing and scraping to her beloved England.

And this really angers her daughter, Del.

A check for understanding.

What tone might the actor playing Del use when speaking of her mother's devotion to her beloved England? Is it A, wistful, B, frustrated, C, mocking, or D, supportive? Pause the video and select your responses now.

Well done if you selected, B, frustrated and C, mocking.

Now I'd like you to read scene two of "Leave Taking", the end of scene two, and I want you to start from Brod's line, "You remember Gullyman, Enid?" And I'd like you to read to the end of scene two.

As you read, pause and discuss these six questions.

One, give an account of Gullyman's life in England.

Two, how does Viv respond to Brod's question about Nanny a the Maroons? Three, despite giving Enid a hard time, how does Brod reveal his love for her? Four, what did Del do last night? Five, what does Del remind Enid happened to her at her workplace? And six, why does Enid slap Del, and how does she justify this action? Pause the video.

Read the end of scene two from Brod's line, "You remember Gullyman, Enid?", to the end.

Once you've finished reading, discuss these six questions.

Pause the video now.

Lovely to see people reading this final section of scene two, and really engaging with that conflict, that very intense conflict that Del and Enid have at the end of this scene, that kind of builds and builds to this moment of violence at the very end.

Let's look at some of the ideas you might have had to our discussion questions.

One, give an account of Gullyman's life in England.

Gullyman moved to England and worked and saved hard.

He established a stable life, and was devoted to the idea of Britishness.

He was a citizen of England and proud of it.

His car was covered in faeces, and a racist slur written on his door.

Brod thinks this brock his heart and mind.

Two.

How does Viv respond to Brod's question about Nanny a the Maroons? Well, Viv says she's never been taught about her in school.

She's never heard of her.

And Pinnock is perhaps referencing the Eurocentric education system.

Brod is certainly critical of this because he wants Viv to explore her cultural identity and her roots.

Three.

Despite giving Enid a hard time, how does Brod reveal his love for her? Well, this whole scene reveals Brod's devotion to Enid and their friendship.

He comes over when asked, he's wearing a tie, which he hates.

And whilst he gives her a hard time about her feelings towards Britain, it's only because he's sad that she's neglecting to celebrate an aspect of her identity, of which he's proud.

He knows that Enid is a devoted mother, and wants her to be happy, even if he's not sure, she's going about it the right way.

So the conflict is there, but there's also a deep love between Brod and Enid.

Four, what did Del do last night? Well, Del went out dancing.

She reveals that she's been "Following that sound system for years, and once that bass gets inside you, you can't do nothing to stop it." Five.

What does Del remind Enid happened at her workplace? Del reminds Enid that she faced discrimination in the workplace, during a work party, it was Enid who was asked to clean up the vomit of another member of staff despite attending the party as the equal of everyone else there.

And six, why does Enid slap Del? How does she justify this action? Well, Enid slaps Del after Del says that Enid's subservient behaviour in England is the reason their father left.

Enid justifies this action by saying, "People grow up in England think they can talk to you anyhow.

Well, they can't." So this rise in tension, this argument, this conflict between Enid and Del culminates in this moment of violence and Del leaves, Viv follows her, and the scene ends.

Well done for reading the end of scene two so beautifully and having a look at these discussion questions to help us understand the themes and characters in yet more detail.

Let's move on to our second learning cycle, we're gonna look at the characters of Enid and Del.

Now Izzy described one of the characters from "Leave Taking" as proud, independent, determined.

I'd like you to discuss, do you think she's describing Del or Enid? And I'd like you to justify your response.

Pause the video and discuss this question now.

Some fantastic discussions there showing of your deep understanding of these characters and people flitting between whether Izzy is describing Del or Enid.

So really getting into the detail of the text and understanding what these characters might be like, how Pinnock is presenting them.

So some of you said that Izzy must be describing Enid because Enid is really proud of the life that she can give her children in England.

She brought up her children as a single parent, so she's pretty independent, and she's determined to create a good life for her family no matter what it takes.

But some of you said no, she must be describing Del because Del's pride manifests in not accepting discrimination at work, she's very angry at her manager and her treatment there.

She wants to leave home and live independently.

She's 18 and she is ready to go, feels that she's ready to go and live a life independently.

And she's determined to look at racist attitudes in England with clarity.

So when she talks about the police, she's determined to see the country for how it is.

Yes, she was born there, and yes, she says in scene one that she already knows who she is and that London is her home, but she also has this determination to look at racist attitudes in England with some clarity.

And she feels that her mother is not doing that.

A check for understanding.

I'd like you to match the character with their appropriate characteristics.

We've got Enid and Del, and we've got four characteristics.

Pause the video and match each character with their appropriate characteristics now.

Well done for looking at this check for understanding, and with Enid we would have proud, resilient, and private.

And Del, we have rebellious, but she's also proud, and she also seems quite private about her personal life.

So we've got some differences between these two characters, but also a lot of similarities between mother and daughter.

Now I'd like you to complete the Venn diagram, exploring Enid and Del's similarities and differences.

Two examples have been done for you.

So with Enid, know that she was born in Jamaica, that is a difference between her and Del.

But we know that Enid and Del both view England as home.

Pause the video and complete the Venn diagram.

Pause the video now.

Fantastic completion of this Venn diagram, showing your deep understanding of these characters, but also by looking at some of their similarities and differences, starting to understand why these characters seem in conflict at points in the play.

Here are some ideas you might have had.

So Enid we know was born in Jamaica.

She's part of the older generation, in contrast to Del and Viv, her daughters.

She's devoted to the England that she was taught about in school.

She trusts Mai, we saw that in scene one.

And she doesn't challenge racial discrimination, we learn that from Del when she reports what happened in her workplace, at the workplace party.

Let's have a think about some of their similarities.

So we know Enid and Del, both view England as home.

They both face discrimination at work, though they respond to it in different ways.

They're private about their personal lives, so Enid hiding her life in Jamaica from her daughters and Del not talking about what's been happening at work, and not wanting to tell her mother that she's been out dancing.

They find each other's attitudes towards England baffling.

So each can't understand how they think about England, and how they manifest themselves in England.

Let's think about Del now.

So she was born in London.

She's part of the younger generation.

She wants independence from Enid.

She won't accept discrimination at work.

She doesn't trust Mai, we saw that in scene one when she was incredibly rude about her mother going to see Mai and about Mai's flat.

And she's critical of England, so she looks some of the racism in the eye with clarity and tries to explain to her mother why she finds this very difficult and why she finds her mother's attitude to England very difficult.

So these are just some of the ideas that you might have had about these two characters, some of the things that they share and some of the differences that they have.

In summary, scene two of "Leave Taking" explores examples of racism present in 1980s Britain.

Some examples of racism explored are presented as systemic, for example, the Eurocentric education system.

Other examples of racial discrimination are explored on an individual basis.

Brod, Enid and Del react to the discrimination they face differently.

Despite their conflict, Enid and Del share some common characteristics.

It's been a pleasure to read the end of scene two of "Leave Taking" with you and explore some of the ideas and characters that are presented there.

I look forward to seeing you next time.