Hello, my name is Ms. Grant.

I'm so glad you have decided to learn with me today.

We are in the unit, The Modern Text, first study, and our modern text is "Leave Taking." Today we're gonna read the first half of Scene Five.

There's a surprising plot development.

We're gonna think, "how was this plot development foreshadowed earlier "in the play?" I'm so excited to hear all of your fantastic ideas.

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

Let's get started.

So by the end of today's lesson, you're going to be able to explain what happens in Scene Five of "Leave Taking" and how its action was foreshadowed.

We're gonna read the first half.

As I said, there is a surprising plot development in the opening of Scene Five, and we're gonna look back to earlier scenes of the play and think, "Was this plot development foreshadowed?" There are some key words which are gonna help us unlock our learning for today's lesson, and they're gonna be referenced throughout.

They are obeah, which is a spirit series of spell casting and healing traditions found in the Caribbean.

We know that Mai, one of our characters, is an obeah woman.

Stage directions, these are instructions written in a play script, often in italics, which explains something about the staging or how an actor should deliver a line.

I think Pinnock is a master at stage directions.

They're often quite sparse, but they reveal so much about a character or about a theme that Pinnock would like to explore.

Foreshadowing, foreshadowing is a literary device.

It gives the reader or audience a hint or indication of what might happen later in the story.

And this literary device is gonna be the focus for our lesson today.

Charm is an object which is thought to have magical powers.

So these are our keywords.

They're gonna be referenced throughout and they're gonna help us achieve our objective.

Our lesson outline for today, we're gonna start off by reading Scene Five and then we're gonna explore Scene Five with a particular focus on the idea of foreshadowing.

So let's start off with reading Scene Five.

Now before we read Scene Five, we know that some of the action in Scene Five is foreshadowed.

So we're gonna look back and we're gonna look back at Scene One.

So here's a summary of Del's relationship with Mai in Scene One.

Del's first line is, "She stinks," an incredibly rude first line.

Pinnock trying to establish the character of Del, what she's like, how she's feeling, how she interacts with others.

Del thinks Mai is scamming Enid.

So Enid has come to Mai for obeah reading and she has to pay for that obeah reading.

And Del thinks it's a waste of money.

She doesn't value Mai, she doesn't value obeah.

Del calls her beer mumbo-jumbo nonsense.

Again, incredibly rude, not just about Mai, but also about her work.

Del accuses Mai of stealing holy water and causing a car accident.

Del says she doesn't want to talk to Mai, she has friends she can talk to.

Mai realises Del has stolen a charm from her.

So this is near the end of Scene One and Del reluctantly gives the charm back when challenged by Mai.

So an interesting scene where Del, the character of Del seems to be very challenging, not just to Mai, but also to Enid, her mother.

There's a lot of conflict in this opening scene.

Now after Del leaves the family home in Scene Two, following a large fight with Enid, we don't see her again until Scene Five.

And this is how Scene Five begins.

"A few weeks later, MAI's room, Midday.

"MAI takes cards from a pile on the table "and places them face up.

"She takes up a saucer on which is a heap of salt.

"She sprinkles salt around the room.

"DEL appears wearing only an outsize T-shirt.

"She's rubbing her eyes, just woken up." So here we have some of those really important stage directions that as I said at the beginning of this lesson, Pinnock is such a master of including these stage directions, often short sentences, often just telling you who a character is directing their dialogue to, but incredibly important, incredibly rich for analysis and exploration.

So let's have a look at these stage directions.

I would like you to discuss why might this development, this opening of Scene Five, why might it be surprising? Pause the video, consider exploration of Scene One earlier in this Learning Cycle.

Look at the stage directions for Scene Five and discuss this question, pause the video now.

Lovely discussions there, seeing people look at these opening stage directions but also able to talk about Scene Five in conjunction with Scene One.

So whenever we talk about a text, we want to be talking not about individual moments, but seeing how those individual moments, how important they are within the context of the whole play.

Now lots of you said it was very surprising to see Del moving in with Mai and I completely agree.

It's surprising because Del was so rude about obeah and Mai herself in Scene One.

So it's arguably strange that Mai is the one she turns to after her argument with her mother.

Some people said it was quite surprising that Mai allowed Del to come into her home considering how rude she was about her and about her work.

Now I'd like you to reread this section of dialogue from the end of Scene One.

So again, we're looking at Scene Five, what we need to look backwards in order to understand what's happening in Scene Five and the structure of Pinnock's work.

So at the end of Scene One, Mai says to Del, "Anytime you need someone to talk to, I'm always here" and Del says, "Don't believe in that mumbo-jumbo S." Mai says, "I can see you need to talk." Del says "How?" "Read me mind.

"I got friends I want to talk" And Mai says "Yes?" I'd like you to discuss how might this section of dialogue foreshadow Del moving in with Mai.

So this is one of our keywords, foreshadow, a hint or indication of what might happen later in the story.

We know that Del moves in with Mai later in the story.

Are there any indications of this at the end of Scene One in this section of dialogue? Pause video and discuss this question now.

Some fantastic discussions there using our keyword from today's lesson, the idea of foreshadowing.

So it does seem like Mai seems to predict that there will be a time when Del needs someone to talk to.

She says, "Anytime you need someone "to talk to, I'm always here." And she also very lightly just with that "Yes," question mark.

She questions if Del really does have friends she can rely on.

So we've seen that Del throughout Scene One is very rude to Mai.

We looked at a summary of Del's actions and words earlier in this Learning Cycle.

We can see that Del is still being pretty rude here, calling obeah "mumbo-jumbo S" and saying, "Oh, if I need to talk to someone then I can talk to my friends, rejecting Mai's offer.

And Mai is very calm throughout this interaction.

She never challenges Del, particularly unlike Enid, who finds her daughter's actions and words very difficult.

Mai just very quickly at the end, very short, very calmly says, "Yes?" And she seems to question if Del really does have friends that she can rely on.

Now I'd like to check for understanding at this point after that Learning Cycle where we've looked at two scenes, Scene One and Scene Five, we've looked at this idea of foreshadowing and we've also looked at another dramatic device, stage direction.

So let's have a check for understanding at this point.

So why is Del at Mai's house? Is it A, "Mai is the last relative she can turn to?" B, "Del wants to become obeah woman? C, "Del doesn't seem to have any friend she can turn to?" or D, "Mai formed some sort of connection with her "in Scene One?" Pause the video and select your responses now.

Well done, if you selected C and D.

Del doesn't seem to have any friends she can turn to.

Mai almost predicted this in Scene One, and Mai also sort seem to form some sort of connection with her in Scene One.

Even though Del apparently rejected that connection, that connection was enough to see Del move in with Mai after that fight with Enid in Scene Two.

Now I'd like you to read Scene Five of "Leave Taking" from the beginning up to the stage direction, "MAI returns with VIV." So we're just reading half of Scene Five today.

And as you read I'd like you to pause and discuss these six questions.

One, what does Mai say about her husband's relationship with obeah? Two, how does Mai respond to Del's question about using obeah to find her husband? Three, what does Mai tell Del to stop playing with? Four, what do we learn about Del's experiences with education? Five, what happens when Mai tries to pick up the cards Del dropped? Six, what does Del do when Mai goes to open the door? What might this action suggest? So I'd like you to pause the video, read through that first half of Scene Five from the beginning to that stage direction "MAI returns with VIV." And as you're reading, pause and discuss these questions.

Pause the video and complete the tasks now.

Some beautiful reading of that scene, seeing Del and Mai talk to each other and establish this kind of relationship where they're now living together.

Let's have a look at some of these discussion questions and the answers that you came up with.

So what does Mai say about husband's relationship with obeah? Well, Del ask asks if Mai's husband minded about her practising obeah, but Mai says "he had no choice" as it was her "calling." So she's suggesting here that in many ways obeah, the practises of obeah chose her in the same way that she chose to be an obeah woman, that something inside her which meant she had to follow this career path.

Some people might say I chose to become a solicitor, I chose to become a builder.

But here being an obeah woman seems something that is innate, is inside you.

It was her calling, it was a vocation.

Question two, how does Mai respond to Del's question about using obeah to find her husband? Well, Mai tells Del, "You can't make a person do "anything they don't want to do." So she rejects the idea of using obeah to find her husband and make him come back to her.

So throughout the scene we see that Mai is drip feeding information about obeah to Del.

Three, what does Mai tell Del to stop playing with? Mai tells Del to stop playing with her cards, and we see that whenever Del is in Mai's room, she can't seem to stop rummaging around, picking things up, looking for things in Scene One, she picked up the charm, she tried to take it away with her, and she's doing the same thing here in Scene Five.

So there is some curiosity about Mai and about obeah and about the things that you need to practise obeah.

Four, what do we learn about Del's experiences with education? So Mai says Del had a liking" for books," but when she reads, "words run across the page "like black ants," perhaps suggesting Del has dyslexia.

As such, Del's teachers didn't think she was intelligent, and their attitude turned Del away from education.

She feels a sense of belonging with her friends though this sense of belonging is beginning to change.

Del brushes this off as a lucky guess, but she doesn't deny that Mai is correct.

So a revealing moment for Del here and a moment of vulnerability as well, which we haven't seen much with Del.

She's always given us this quite tough exterior.

And we've known a lot about Viv's experiences with education.

She's a very academic student, she's excelling at school, but we haven't heard much about Del.

And here we get an insight, and it's Mai who provides that insight.

And Del does seem to be a bit uncomfortable with the fact that Mai knows this about her.

She brushes it off, but she doesn't deny it.

So it does seem like Mai has seen something about her education, that is true.

Five, what happens when Mai tries to pick up the cards Del dropped? The stage directions state that Mai has a "dizzy spell." Six, what does Del do when Mai goes to open the door, and what might this action suggest? Well, the stage directions, and they're really important here.

I really love this stage direction.

The stage directions state, "DEL quickly picks up the love potion "and dabs some behind her ears." And this could suggest that despite her protestations, that she has some faith in Mai's potion.

Furthermore, given that Mai says the potions are so "people love themselves," Pinnock may be indicating Del's relationship with herself.

So it seems like a really short stage direction, and maybe not a particularly important moment in the play.

Might think "Oh, it's Del just acting up again, "stealing, taking things from Mai." But I think it reveals much, much more about not only her relationship with herself, who she doesn't seem to like herself very much, but also her relationship with obeah.

She does seem to sort of trust it in some way that again might seem a little bit surprising.

Well done for reading through the first half of that scene so beautifully and being really reflective with these questions.

We're gonna move on to our second Learning Cycle now.

So we've read Scene Five and we've had a little dip into Scene One in order to understand why the plot development in Scene Five of Mai moving, of Del, sorry, moving in with Mai is so surprising.

And now we're gonna further that exploration in Learning Cycle 2.

So I'd like you to reread the opening lines of dialogue from Scene Five.

Del says, "What's going on?" So this is just after the stage directions where it's revealed that Del is now living with Mai.

And Mai says, "Sssh" Del, "You gone mad or what?" Mai, "Go back to bed." "DEL watches, MAI continues, self-conscious.

"She spills the salt." "See what you've done with your evil eye.

"See how you make me spill it?" I'd like you to discuss is Del's engagement with obeah similar or different to Scene One? So just looking at this section of dialogue from Scene Five, is Del's engagement with obeah similar or different to Scene One? And recall that we looked at a summary of Scene One in Learning Cycle 1 to support this discussion.

So pause the video and discuss this question now.

So really beautiful discussions there.

Particularly nice to see people remembering all of the things that happened in Scene One and being able to look at them side by side, this moment from Scene Five.

So lots of people focused on Del's opening lines, which again border on rude, less rude I think than Scene One, but she still says to Mai, "What's going on? "You've gone mad or what?" So Del still doesn't know much about obeah practises, she doesn't recognise what Mai's doing and is still quite rude, calling Mai mad.

However, lots of people then looked at this stage direction.

It was really nice to see people using the keyword from today's lesson to unlock this question.

So, "DEL watches, MAI continues," and she's a bit self-conscious.

So actually Del is showing a bit more interest in obeah.

She's watching Mai so intently that Mai becomes self-conscious.

So Del does seem to be looking at Mai.

We are not exactly sure why, but she is seeing what Mai's doing and the importance of the salt and the ritual that Mai is doing for obeah.

Well done for exploring this moment from the opening Scene Five.

We've now looked at the stage directions really, really closely.

We looked at that in Learning Cycle 1 and now we've looked at the opening section of this dialogue, again, looking at some important stage directions and deepening our understanding of Del's relationship with Mai.

So I'd like you to consider all of Scene Five, the Scene Five that you read in Learning Cycle 1.

And I'd like you to discuss, how has Mai and Del's relationship developed? Pause the video and consider and discuss this question now.

Some beautiful discussions there taking into account all of the things that we looked at in Learning Cycle 1.

So that summary of Scene One and then thinking about the opening stage directions in Scene Five and then using your reading of the first half of Scene Five to add some real complexity and depth to your ideas.

So here's some ideas that you might have had.

So Del is now living with Mai, and has turned to her in her time of need, so she can't reject her offers of help anymore.

She's taken her up on it.

Del suggests Mai is mad, but also carefully watches her perform aspects of obeah.

And it was nice to see people bring stage directions into their answer for this question.

Del asks questions about Mai's past, and so you are remembering, she asks her about her husband, she asks her about what has happened in her past.

So she is showing some interest in Mai herself.

Del is interested in the power of obeah, again asking questions.

So lot of questions from Del in this scene, often framed, sometimes a little bit rudely, but she is definitely asking those questions.

She's interested in Mai and obeah.

Del has been looking at the potions and charms that Mai has developing the fascination she had in Scene One.

So the stealing of the charm in Scene One, it could be interpreted as a moment of defiance, but it could also be interpreted as a moment of curiosity.

Del reads Mai's palm playfully, but showing some connection with Mai and with obeah.

So again, this is a really nice moment to draw out from Scene Five and noting that Del, even though she is doing it in a way that's playful and she's doing it in a way because she wants Mai to sort of stop examining her, she still is engaging with the idea of obeah.

Del helps Mai when she has a dizzy spell and says, "Take it easy." So even though Del has been very rude to Mai in the past, when Mai is obviously a little bit ill, not feeling well, Del takes care of her.

And Del put some of the love potion on her ears.

She clearly thinks it has some sort of power.

And for me, this is a really interesting moment, a really intimate moment with Del, because it does really suggest how she feels about herself as well as suggesting the power that she thinks Mai's potion has.

Really lovely discussion there, getting so many different ideas about the way this relationship has developed.

So I'd like to check for understanding now before we move into our practise task.

And how has the relationship between Mai and Del developed? Is it A, "It hasn't, "everything was foreshadowed in Scene One." B, "Del has turned to Mai "in a moment of trouble and isolation," or C, "Del seems increasingly interested in obeah." Pause the video and select your response now.

Well done if you selected B and C.

We can see that Del has turned to Mai in a moment of trouble despite the fact that she said she had lots of friends.

So Pinnock here suggesting that actually Del does not have a lot of friends or not reliable friends anyway.

And Del does seem increasingly interested in obeah.

What I really like about this scene is, Pinnock doesn't have Del do a complete change of heart and suddenly engage with obeah in a way that would seem unrealistic.

Instead we see the same Del, little bit antagonistic, a little bit rude, but we can also see that developing curiosity coming through.

Now I'd like you to reread the end of Scene One from the stage direction, "ENID and VIV go," and "DEL hangs back" to the end.

So we're returning to Scene One.

We've looked throughout this lesson at Scene Five in conjunction in connection with Scene One.

So you're gonna reread the end of Scene One from the stage direction.

"ENID and VIV go," and "DEL hangs back" to the end.

And as you read, I'd like you to write bullet points in answer to this question.

How does Pinnock foreshadow the development of Mai and Del's relationship? And I've done a first bullet point for you so you can see how I'd like you to set it out.

Mai can see that Del needs someone to talk to and offers this.

So you've had some fantastic ideas about how the relationship has developed in this Learning Cycle.

You told me really clearly how that relationship between Mai and Del has developed.

We're now gonna look back at Scene One and look at Pinnock's use of foreshadowing in order to understand how this relationship, this development of this relationship was foreshadowed.

So I'd like you to pause the video, reread that section from Scene One from the stage direction, "ENID and VIV go.

"DEL hangs back" to the end and write bullet points in answer to the question.

Pause the video and complete the task now.

It was so lovely to see people rereading the end of that scene and seeing how it becomes richer and richer the more we read the play and the more we reread certain sections of the play, and writing down some really careful bullet points showing your fantastic understanding of the idea of foreshadowing.

So here's some ideas that you might have had.

Mai can see that Del needs someone to talk to and offers this.

Del "hangs back," lots of people looked at this stage direction.

Again, I think it's an amazing one by Pinnock, 'cause it's short.

Del hangs back while Enid and Viv go.

And that idea, that short moment, hangs back.

This suggests that she has some kind of interest in Mai.

Why is she hanging back? She's been so rude.

You think she would be rushing out of Mai's house, but actually she's staying for a short moment.

So well done for looking at that stage direction and really working out how that stage direction foreshadows what happens in Scene Five.

Pinnock shows how long it takes Del to leave, the stage direction saying "DEL starts to go" twice and Del saying "I'm going" but she doesn't.

So again, exploring those stage directions and how they help as understand the character of Del.

Del stealing the charm.

You could see it as an act of Defiance, seems to develop into some sort of interest in obeah just like with the love potion.

So really nice to see people tying together two really specific moments from Scene One and Scene Five.

Mai questions if Del actually has friends, showing Del's isolation, and that is possibly the reason why she has moved in with Mai.

And they repeat each other's language.

And this was really nice to hear people looking at dialogue.

We've done a lot of work on stage directions, but of course the dialogue is really important in a play script.

And actually Del and Mai repeat each other's language, saying they "know each other's game" and "read my mind" suggesting a connection between them developed when they read each other's palms in Scene Five.

So I think Pinnock does this in such a light-touch way where the relationship still at points seems a little bit full of conflict, a bit of teasing, a little bit antagonistic, but actually they are repeating each other's words, repeating each other's actions, suggesting this connection between them.

Well done for making those bullet points really rich and showing your depth of understanding about Pinnock's use of stage directions and the idea of this relationship being foreshadowed.

In summary, Del has moved in with Mai.

Del seems increasingly interested in obeah.

Scene One foreshadows the development of Del and Mai's relationship, and Del did not enjoy school, perhaps because she was not offered the support she needed with reading.

It's been such a pleasure to work through this lesson with you and hear all of your fantastic ideas.

I look forward to seeing you next time.