Hello, my name is Ms. Grant.

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

We're in the modern text first study unit, and our modern text is, "Leave Taking".

Today we're gonna look at the character of Enid, specifically her relationships with England and Jamaica.

We know they're rich, we know they're deep, we know that they are complex.

I can't wait 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 how Pinnock presents Enid's relationship with Jamaica and England.

These relationships are very complex, so we're gonna hear lots and lots of different ideas today, and we're gonna be looking at lots of different moments in the play in order to understand these relationships.

There's no one answer.

Enid herself doesn't have one answer, and it's this richness, this complexity, which is going to add such depth to your responses today.

Now, there are some key words which are going to help unlock our learning today, and they are discrimination, which means unjust treatment of people based on certain characteristics.

For example, race, gender, age.

Cultural identity, a part of a person's identity that can be grounded in their nationality, ethnicity, religion, social class or generation.

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

And colonisation.

When a country establishes control over another country, exploiting it for economic gain.

And Britain colonised Jamaica in 1655.

And even though that is many centuries before this play was written, first performed in 1987, it's an incredibly important idea to the characters and to Pinnock herself.

So our learning outline for today, we're gonna start off by thinking about Enid's past and present, and then we're gonna consider the idea of Enid's complex relationships.

So let's start off with Enid's past and present.

Now in her introduction to, "Leave Taking" Pinnock writes of Enid, "She is reaching out for life in a new country, haunted by memories of what she has left behind".

I'd like you to discuss how do we see Enid reaching out for life in England? I saw lots of people reaching for their play scripts as soon as this discussion question came up, which is just a fantastic thing to see because of course we cannot answer any question about Leave Taking, well, without the copy, without a copy of the script in front of us.

So using that script that we've already got to hand, I'd like you to discuss this question.

How do we see Enid reaching out for life in England? Pause a video and discuss the question now.

So she calls England her home and her children English girls, so she's hiding her cultural identity.

We know she clashes with broad about this.

So when she says, "My girls, Viv and Dale are English girls" Broad says, "These girls got Caribbean souls.

You mix these children up, Enid".

So this is her reaching out for life in a new country means that, or she feels that it means she needs to hide her cultural identity.

Now, Enid wants to stick to the rules in England, which for Enid includes not challenging the racial discrimination that she sees, that she experiences in 1980s Britain.

So reaching out for life in a new country again involves some idea of sacrifice, some idea of ignoring what she sees in that country.

She's totally focused on Viv's education, which is an idea a lot of you explored.

So the way in which she reaches out for life in a new country is the idea that Viv is going to go to university.

And she also enters into the community, for example, inviting the Pastor over.

So this is quite an important moment in the play when she invites the Pastor over.

We don't ever see the Pastor, but the preparations and the kind of aftermath.

But she's definitely entering into the community and reaching out for life in the new country, in the new country in Britain.

And she says that the church is incredibly important to her.

Now, as Pinnock writes, Enid's reaching out is balanced with the haunting memories of what she's left behind.

So she's reaching out for life in England, but she is haunted by memories of what she has left behind and what she's left behind in Jamaica.

Now, for each idea that we just came up with, the idea that Enid is reaching out for life in a new country, I'd like you to discuss its opposite.

So the idea that Enid is haunted by memories of what she's left behind, and I'd like you to use these prompts to guide you.

So Enid reaching out, she says she calls England home and children English girls, she hides her cultural identity.

Well, I'd like you to consider how Enid feels after her mother's death, which is in scene four.

Enid says she wants to stick to the rules in England, which for Enid includes not challenging racial discrimination.

And I'd like you to consider Enid's dialogue at the end of the play in scene eight.

She's totally focused on Viv's education.

That's her again, reaching out for life in new country.

But I'd like you to consider Enid's worries about Del in scene six.

And finally she enters into the community, for example, inviting the Pastor over.

Well, I'd like you to consider Enid's visits to Mai in scenes one, six and eight.

So again, saw people immediately reaching for their play scripts, and you can see that you're going to have to look through scene four, scene eight, scene six, scene one in order to discuss this question really, really fruitfully.

So pause the video and I'd like you to discuss how is Enid haunted by memories in the opposite way that she is reaching out for life in England, and you're gonna use those prompts to support your discussion.

Pause the video and discuss the question now.

Some fantastic discussions there, really pinpointing how we can see Pinnock's idea that Enid is reaching out for life in a new country, but she is definitely, definitely haunted by memories of what she has left behind and showing off your fantastic knowledge of your ability to move through the play with such ease, moving from scene four to scene eight, to scene six, to scene one.

So you are very, very comfortable with all the characters, with the plot, with the structure of this play.

Here are some ideas you might have had.

So consider how Enid feels after her mother's death in scene four.

Well, Enid says, "I want to go home" And here she means Jamaica, not England, so direct opposite of what she said earlier in the play.

Considering Enid's dialogue at the end of the play in scene eight, well, Enid says she does see racism, which makes her want to tear the place down.

So again, an exact opposite of her idea that she wants to stick to the rules and ignore racial discrimination.

Consider Enid's worries about Del in scene six, where she worries Del will destroy herself and she asks if migrating was worth it.

So yes, she's totally focused on Viv's education, but her other daughter, Del, her older daughter, she is very, very worried about her future.

And finally, consider Enid's visits to Mai in scenes one, six and eight.

Lots of people said, "well, actually Enid was returning to Mai time and time again.

Obeah supports her, not the church".

So again, we can see this kind of haunting memory because she's relying on Obeah to help her and she's not supported at this point by the church.

Fantastic movement throughout the whole play there and really considering Pinnock's idea that Enid is reaching out for life in a new country, but haunted by memories of what she's left behind in all of its complexity.

A check for understanding to make sure we understand the complexity of Enid's relationship with Jamaica.

Now, Jun has said, "It's clear that Enid wants to cut all ties with Jamaica" Which is not quite correct.

And Izzy, Alex and Laura all try and correct Jun.

And I want you to tell me which students accurately correct Jun.

You're gonna pause the video, read through each student's correction and then select which students you think have accurately corrected Jun.

Pause the video, read through the responses, and select which you think accurately correct Jun now.

Well done, lots to read there.

Lots of complex ideas to go through, but well done if you selected A and C.

Now, Alex is not correct either.

When he says, "It's more complicated than that, she manages to cut all ties only when her mother dies." Actually, when her mother dies, this is when we get more of an insight into Enid's past and arguably memories of her past come back to haunt her in an even stronger way.

So the correct answer is Izzy and Laura.

Now I'd like you to reread scene four, and as you read, collect quotations which support ideas about Enid's reaching out, and by contrast, Enid being haunted by memory.

This has been our focus for all of this learning cycle, so you're gonna have loads of fantastic ideas already, but you're gonna anchor them in your rereading of scene four.

And rereading is such an important part of being a student of English.

When you first read a text, you want to know what's going to happen, what's gonna happen to each character, how the plot is going to develop, and when you go back and reread, you can see all of the craft that the writer has put into their work and start to explore, analyse, and evaluate.

So this rereading is gonna be really exciting, and you've also got a focus.

Well, how is Enid reaching out for life in a new country and how is she haunted by memories of what she's left behind? Pause the video, reread scene four, and complete the table.

Complete these tasks now.

A really beautiful rereading of this scene, A really difficult scene, maybe one of the, the hardest, maybe this along the scene eight, and scene seven actually.

Lots of really hard moments in this play.

So really nice to see that sensitive reading coming through with Enid in real desperation, in real sadness, in real grief for her mother's death.

So some ideas you might have had.

Well, how is Enid reaching out? Well, when living in Jamaica, Enid recalls her uncle and his glamorous wife coming to visit.

Enid aspired to this lifestyle, she wanted to migrate.

It was always in her future plan.

So she was always reaching out rather than thinking, "Jamaica is where I'm going to stay and where I will grow old." Enid wanted a certain type of life in England, and therefore, "Wasn't gonna let no blasted man breed me up".

She was determined to establish a financially stable life in England.

So she's reaching out for a certain kind of life in England.

She explicitly says to Viv about her father, "I wasn't gonna let no blasted man breed me up.

I wasn't gonna have so many children that I was not able to be financially secure in Britain".

Enid recalls the plans she and her husband made before migrating, they were exciting, ambitious plans.

Their minds were in England and its possibilities, not Jamaica.

So this idea of reaching out and the excitement that migration can bring, the idea of a new life, particularly because she wanted to start it with her husband at that point.

Enid has been saving money for Viv's University education.

She's focused on the future, not the past.

I think this is such an important plot detail.

Really thinking, "Okay, Enid is thinking about the future".

When Viv tries to give her the money back, she says, "what would I spend it on?" You know, "I'm old now, the focus is you".

So she's really reaching out and she's trying to get Viv to reach out as well for this future.

Let's look at the idea it's opposite now, so Enid is haunted by memories.

So Enid recalls her upbringing with no electricity or hot and cold running water, and the memory haunts her, but she maybe also feels guilt for the relative luxury she has in England compared to her family in Jamaica.

So she is haunted by these memories and we've got some specific details from her childhood, childhood, which shows that haunting.

Enid said she feels like a cat chasing her tail, going round and round and getting nowhere but dizzy.

And this simile perhaps expresses the idea that escape is not possible.

And I think this quotation, this moment is a sad moment in this scene and a really important one in terms of Enid.

One that you would want to return to time and time again if you were writing about Leave Taking.

What does a simile express about how Enid feels about her life and her choice to migrate? Enid recalls her last day in Jamaica and how her mother wouldn't speak to her.

She seems haunted by this memory, emphasised by her immediately and unusually drinking afterwards.

And again, a small plot point, but very important in terms of understanding, Enid's kind of emotional breakdown here.

She doesn't drink, Viv says, "Mom, you don't drink".

And because she is, we know that something terrible is happening internally to her and and she's very, very upset.

And certainly this vivid memory of her leaving her mother is a very powerful moment in this scene.

Well done for such a careful reread of scene four and collecting some ideas which further develop this, this idea that Pinnock has, that she states in her introduction that Enid is reaching out for life in a new country, but haunted by memories of what she has left behind.

We're gonna move on to our second learning cycle now.

We're gonna think about Enid's complex relationships.

We've already got so many ideas because we've looked at her relationship with her past life in Jamaica and her present life in England in learning cycle one.

Now, Pinnock says of her parents, this is also in the introduction to Leave Taking.

She says of her parents, "They had grown up on plantation villages where the legacy of enslavement was still evident in the wretched poverty they endured.

Jamaica achieved independence the year that my youngest sibling was born" Which is 1962.

Now what does this mean, "Plantation villages where the legacy of enslavement was still evident"? Well, Britain colonised Jamaica in 1655.

They enslaved Africans and transported them across the Atlantic to work on plantations in Jamaica.

And Pinnock explores the legacy of slavery in scene two, when Enid states, "My daughter going to university, how many of my sister children back home going to university?" And Brod replies, "And you know why they ain't going to university? Because they too poor, and why they poor? Because of colonialism.

They suck the blood outta the island".

So we've got this moment, this kind of autobiographical detail from Pinnock in her introduction that her parents had grown up on plantation villages where the legacy of enslavement, of Britain's colonisation of Jamaica, where it was still apparent.

And we can see how this has impacted her work because the character of Brod challenges Enid about her assessment of the opportunities in Jamaica, and Brod says, "Well, the reason Jamaica is so poor is because of the impact, the legacy of colonisation and enslavement".

Now, Pinnock says of Enid, "I was fascinated by Enid and the complexity of her relationship with England".

And I'd like you to consider Jamaica's history and discuss why Enid's relationship with England is so complex.

So think about that moment that we just read where Pinnock says, "My parents grew up on plantation villages where the legacy of enslavement was still evident." And think about Enid migrating from Jamaica to England and discuss why is Enid's relationship with England so complex? Pause the video and discuss this question now.

Some really lovely discussions there, people being nice and tentative.

"Perhaps it could be, maybe, I think that".

So starting to unpack this idea that Pinnock is exploring through this character of Enid, her complex relationship with England.

Well, because Enid, for Enid England is both a land of opportunity, but also a place she experiences racial discrimination.

It is also a place which colonised Jamaica and enslaved her ancestors.

So lots of people referred to the idea, well, Enid wanted to come to England, she wanted to migrate, wanted to leave Jamaica, we just saw that in our rereading of scene four, but we know that here is a place that she experiences racial discrimination.

Plus it is a place which colonised Jamaica and enslaved her ancestors.

So necessarily this is going to be an incredibly complex relationship for Enid.

A quick check for understanding is this idea of colonisation, the legacy of enslavement is so important in understanding various moments in Leave Taking.

So what does Broad mean when he says, "They [the British] suck the blood outta the island"? Does it mean A, until Jamaica is independent, the island will always be poor? B, Britain exploited Jamaica and this exploitation has had a lasting impact? C, Brod feels they shouldn't have migrated? D, the legacy of colonialism lives on in Jamaica's poverty? Pause video and select your responses now.

Well done if you selected B and D.

It's not that Brod feels they shouldn't have migrated.

He is angry at the British government, at the home office.

He's angry at the legacy of enslavement, of colonialism.

But when he's challenged by Enid about the idea that he should move back to Jamaica, he doesn't really have a response and it's not as clear cut that he thinks they shouldn't have migrated.

Just like Enid, Brod has a complex relationship with Britain too.

Now I'd like you to reread Enid's final dialogue in scene eight from, "Nobody see you, nobody hear you" To, "Right up to the end she never say a word to me" And it's such a powerful moment in the play, scene eight.

This extended bit of dialogue from Enid where we learn so much about her emotional relationship with her mother and with herself, her anger, Britain, all of these things which she has kept hidden throughout the rest of the play.

I remember the first time reading this scene and just being astounded by, by all the ideas that came through.

It's such a powerful moment to end the play on.

So rereading this scene, it's gonna be a really exciting opportunity to return to this amazing final scene.

And I want you to use three prompts and annotate this section from scene eight to show how Pinnock presents Enid's complex relationships.

And here are our three prompts.

I'd like you to consider Enid's relationship with England.

Consider how Enid is treated when she returns to Jamaica from England, and consider Enid's relationship with her mother.

So this is gonna build on all the ideas we've gone through in today's lesson, thinking about Enid's complex relationship with Enid and Jamaica, with England and Jamaica.

And you're just gonna deepen your understanding here by doing some really, really close annotation of this bit of dialogue.

So pause the video, get that section, find that section from scene eight, and using those three prompts, annotate the dialogue, the final bit of dialogue from Enid in this play.

Pause the video now.

Beautiful to see people focusing on a specific moment in the play, this dialogue from scene eight, but because of the fantastic discussions you had in learning cycle one and earlier in this learning cycle, learning cycle two, you are able to link those moments to earlier in the play and have an incredibly rich interpretation of Enid's dialogue in scene eight.

Let's look at some of the ideas you might have had.

So consider Enid's relationship with England.

So one quotation that really stuck out to me is, "Nobody see you, nobody here you, you don't exist".

And Enid is a citizen of a country which treats her as less important than its other citizens.

She came to England for a better life and to escape what Pinnock describes as wretched poverty in a plantation village, but she has had to sacrifice cultural identity and a sense of belonging to have it.

So you can see the level of annotation that we're looking for there.

So if you need to add to your annotations as we go through this feedback, then do so.

Let's consider how Enid is treated when she returns to Jamaica from England.

She says that, "Everybody come round and say how I look sharp, call me Ms. English, say how them proud of me." Now Enid is isolated in England and faces racial discrimination, but to many in Jamaica, she's an example of a success story.

Someone who has migrated to a country of opportunity, and calling her Ms. English shows that they don't think of her as Jamaican anymore.

And in this way you might feel she's lost part of her cultural identity as well as knowing that people in England don't accept her as English, where then can Enid feels she belongs? And I think this moment is, it's a very sad moment, the idea that where can Enid feel she belongs because she doesn't feel fully accepted in England and now she feels slightly disconnected from Jamaica.

So where can she feel she belongs? So no wonder this is a moment of intense vulnerability for Enid with Del because she's kind of admitting that she doesn't have a secure place in either country.

And consider Enid's relationship with her mother.

She says, "Mooma never like me.

I was everything she never want to be, everything that make you invisible in the world." And Enid's mother perhaps feared for her daughter, knowing that life would be difficult for her as a black migrant in Britain.

Her response was silence.

Enid feels she could never do anything right for her.

And her death means any opportunity to do so is now over.

An incredibly sad moment in this scene, and kind of echoing because Del feels that her mother, that Enid, doesn't like her.

She said that to Mai before.

And then we see this kind of generational conflict between Enid and her own mother.

So this kind of cycle continues, but I do feel like this moment between Del and Enid is a moment of understanding and maybe that this, this cycle, this idea that mothers not liking their daughters or not understanding their daughters and their choices.

And there maybe is some hope there.

Really, really nice annotations.

Very, very detailed, and really exploring the complexity of Enid's relationship with England and Jamaica, one where there are no easy answers for us, and certainly not for the characters.

In summary, Pinnock describes Enid as reaching out for life in a new country.

Pinnock describes Enid as haunted by memories of what she has left behind.

Enid's inner conflict is felt most keenly after her mother's death.

Britain colonised Jamaica in 1655.

Jamaica achieved independence in 1962 and the impact of this colonisation is still felt.

It's been such a pleasure to explore Enid's relationships with Jamaica and England.

Some of the most complex relationships perhaps in the whole play, and to hear all of your nuanced and interesting ideas.

I really look forward to seeing you next time.