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

We're in our Modern Text unit, and our modern text is "Leave Taking".

We're in the first deep dive, so we're looking at the power of education.

Today we're going to explore the character of Brod.

He's only in three scenes of "Leave Taking", but his impact is enormous.

So we're gonna develop out the ideas about this character today.

I'm gonna be your support and guide as we work through today's lesson together, and I cannot wait to hear all of your fantastic ideas.

Let's get started.

So by the end of today's lesson, you're going to be able to explain the role Brod plays in "Leave Taking".

I'm really excited today to look at the dramatic function of this character.

He's a great character, he's really rich, he's really interesting, despite only appearing in three scenes in the play, he has a huge impact on the play.

But I'm also really excited to look at the idea of the play as a play, and the dramatic methods that Pinnock uses.

And Brod, he serves a dramatic function, and I want to really unpick what that dramatic function is with you today.

There are some keywords which can help unlock our learning, and help us achieve our objective today.

And they are indoctrinate, catalyst, foil, Commonwealth, and colonisation.

So indoctrinate.

This is when you make people believe something.

A less formal synonym is to brainwash.

Catalyst is something that causes a change or event to occur.

And I said, I was really interested to look at the dramatic function of the character Brod, and one of the dramatic functions he serves is he is a catalyst to the character of Viv.

So we're gonna be using this term a lot today in order to understand Brod's dramatic function.

Foil is a character who contrasts another character.

So again, this is one of Brod's dramatic functions.

He's a foil to the character of Enid, and we're gonna understand today why he is that foil.

Commonwealth is an international association of 56 independent countries, many of which used to be British colonies.

And colonisation, which is when a country establishes control over another country, exploiting it for economic gain.

So all of these words are gonna be referenced today throughout the lesson, and they're gonna help us achieve our objective.

Our lesson outline for today.

So first of all, we're going to look at Brod as a foil to Enid.

So one of our keywords there, we're gonna look at how he contrasts Enid, how Pinnock uses him to contrast Enid.

And then we're gonna look at another of his dramatic functions, which is to serve as a catalyst for Viv.

Let's start off by looking at Brod as a foil to Enid.

So in her introduction to "Leave Taking", Pinnock writes, "My mother migrated from Jamaica to the United Kingdom in 1959.

The shock and disappointment of those who migrated to the UK at that time has been well documented.

My parents' generation had been indoctrinated by a colonialist education that lionised, celebrated, all things British.

Despite their disappointment on entering a country whose environment was often hostile, no Blacks, no dogs, no Irish, they didn't complain and rarely discussed hardships." So let's look at this section here where Pinnock writes, "My parents' generation have been indoctrinated by a colonialist education that lionised, celebrated, all things British." We've got two of our keywords here.

So the idea that her parents' generation had been indoctrinated or brainwashed by the colonialist education that said everything in Britain was fantastic.

So Jamaica was colonised by the British in 1655.

It exerted its power in many ways, one being through the education system.

And until Jamaica achieved independence in 1962, its education system was largely Eurocentric.

So this is what Pinnock means, or part of what she means, when she says that her parents' generation had been indoctrinated by colonialist education that celebrated, lionised, all things British.

The fact that the education system was largely Eurocentric, and it was focused on ideas, and traditions, and values, British ideas, traditions, and values, rather than those of Jamaica.

Now she says her mother migrated from Jamaica to the United Kingdom in 1959, and there was large-scale migration after World War II, which ended in 1945, and there were reasons for this.

Firstly, there was a labour shortage in Britain, so Britain needed workers to come and fulfil really important jobs, for example, in the transport sector or in the NHS.

Jamaica was part of the Commonwealth, and its citizens had the right to enter Britain.

So being part of the Commonwealth meant that citizens from Jamaica had a right to enter Britain.

And Caribbeans had fought for Britain in the World Wars, and thus had a really keen sense of the British identity.

So partly it was through the education system, but it was also because Caribbeans had fought for Britain in the World Wars, and they had fought at this country, and now they had the right to enter that country.

Now Pinnock explores these ideas, these ideas that she talks about in her introduction, about her parents' generation.

Now she explores those ideas through Enid and Brod.

So Enid and Brod both migrated to England post war, and whilst Enid celebrates all things British at the start of the play, and rarely discusses hardship, so these are ideas that Pinnock talks about in her introduction.

So while we have Enid, she is celebrating all things British, and she rarely discusses hardship, Brod acts as a foil to Enid, he criticises British institutions, policies, and attitudes.

So one of the reasons why Pinnock includes the character Brod is to be a foil to Enid, for Enid who celebrates all things British, and doesn't discuss hardship, Brod is the opposite to this, he's not celebrating all things British, and he does discuss hardship.

So a check for understanding, just so we have a really secure understanding of the two characters Enid and Brod, but also how to interact with that introduction, the ideas from the introduction that Pinnock gives us.

In what ways does Brod serve as a foil to Enid? Is it A, he reiterates the hardships Enid describes.

B, unlike Enid, he criticises Britain.

C, he doesn't have children, unlike Enid.

Or D, he doesn't experience the same hardships as Enid.

Pause the video and select your responses now.

Well done if you selected B, unlike Enid, he criticises Britain.

So he does have children, we find out that he has children in Scene Seven of the play.

He and Enid do experience the same hardships, or some of the same hardships, but their responses to those hardships are different.

Now I would like you to reread Scene Two from Brod, who says, "A few years ago, I woulda say the same thing", to when Brod says, "Hardly talk broken English." So it's just a short section of Scene Two that I would like you to reread.

And as you read, I would like you to complete the single-paragraph outline detailing how Brod serves as a foil to Enid.

So we're really gonna secure our understanding of one of the dramatic functions of Brod that is a foil to Enid in a great single-paragraph outline.

So you've got a lot of the single-paragraph outline already there for you, for example, the topic sentence.

Pinnock uses Scene Two to present Brod as a character who, unlike Enid, voices political and social criticism of Britain past and present.

And we've also got our concluding sentence.

In this way, Pinnock presents Brod as a foil to Enid, a character who wants to question his experiences and history.

What we don't have is the supporting detail.

And as you reread Scene Two, that short section of Scene Two, you are going to collect three to four references or quotations which support the topic sentence, and write rough notes detailing how you would explore these references.

So really exciting task, we're gonna have a really solid understanding of the dramatic function of Brod by the end of it.

So you get your pen, your paper, your laptop, whatever it is you're writing on, and, of course, your copy of "Leave Taking", so that you can reread that section of Scene Two.

And I'd like you to complete the two tasks on the board, pausing the video to complete those tasks now.

Welcome back after a fantastic rereading of that section of Scene Two.

I always love reading texts for the first time.

It's so exciting to think what's going to happen, how is this character going to develop? But I equally love rereading a text, and finding all the things that I missed the first time that I read it, and to really develop and enrich my ideas.

Similarly, it was really nice to see people noting down some fantastic references to complete that single-paragraph outline, because the way to really secure your ideas about a text is to do some writing about it.

So here's one of Izzy's pieces of supporting detail.

Izzy, like you, reread a short section of Scene Two, and completed the single-paragraph outline.

So here's one of her pieces of supporting detail.

She selected the quote "Vampirism", and she says, "the metaphor emphasises the unnatural power of colonialists/exploitation and destruction of Jamaica and its people for British gain, and Enid doesn't engage." So really like that short quotation, I like how Izzy has selected or identified a dramatic metaphor, and she's got some short notes, which you can really see how they would develop into sentences in an analytical paragraph.

So Izzy supporting detail supports the topic sentence and concluding sentence, and it includes rough notes which will support analysis.

So I'd like you to self-assess your own supporting detail, you'll have three to four pieces ensuring it meets Izzy's checklist.

So pause the video and using the model that Izzy has given us, and her checklist, make sure that your supporting detail meets this criteria.

Pause the video and self-assess now.

Well done for completing that self-assessment really carefully.

You now have a fantastic single-paragraph outline.

We've got a really strong topic sentence and concluding sentences, and really detailed notes about how you would complete the main body paragraph with all of your analysis.

So keep that safe, because it'll be a really nice thing either to write up if you want to write up that paragraph entirely, or to revise from, if you want to think, well, how do I actually want to think about the character of Brod? How do I want to return and revise my ideas about this character? So we looked at Brod as a foil to Enid, that is one of his dramatic functions, and we're now gonna look at Brod as a catalyst for the character of Viv.

So in a play, each character serves a dramatic function.

A dramatic function is the purpose of the character, how they help the playwright develop, emphasise, and reveal the ideas they want to explore in their work.

In her introduction, Pinnock tells us that when the Liverpool Playhouse Studio first commissioned "Leave Taking", she was asked to cut her original cast as the budget would only allow for five characters.

In this way, the dramatic function of Brod becomes even more significant.

Pinnock could have cut him, but chose not to.

So originally Pinnock had a much larger cast than just the five characters.

She had to decide, who do I need to keep in, and who can I remove? She kept the character of Brod, so we need to think really carefully, well, why did she choose to keep him? So the first time we hear of the character of Brod is through Viv in Scene One.

Viv says, "I want to go to the West Indies.

It's not all white sandy beaches, you know.

Uncle Brod says you don't know who you are 'less you've been there." I'd like you to discuss what is Pinnock signalling by introducing Brod in this way, and consider how early Pinnock decides to introduce him and his influence on Viv.

So just looking at this section, the first time we hear of Brod, I'd like you to discuss what is Pinnock signalling by introducing Brod in this way.

Pause the video and discuss the question now.

Some really thoughtful discussions there, and I really like how we are looking at what Pinnock has decided to do, how she's crafted this character, how she's introduced the character.

So really looking at the dramatic methods that she's employing.

So some people are saying, well, we are seeing that the character of Brod is really important, because she introduces him almost immediately.

We've got Enid, Del, and Viv on stage, we've got Mai on stage, but we still hear about this fifth character, Brod, and we hear that he has had a conversation with Viv which has clearly influenced her, because at this point in the play, all we found out is that Viv is incredibly academic, and that Enid is really determined that she will continue her academic career, her academic success.

But already Viv is clearly being influenced by Brod, she wants to go to the West Indies, and something we see as the play progresses, Enid is not interested in the idea of Viv going to the West Indies, she wants her to pursue her academic career.

So we can already see this very, very strong influence of Brod.

So one of Brod's dramatic functions then is to serve as a catalyst for Viv to.

Want to visit the West Indies, so we see this from Scene One, "Uncle Brod says you don't know who you are 'less you've been there." To question her Eurocentric education.

So after Scene Two where Brod has been very critical of Viv's education, we see in Scene Four that Viv says, "I spend my life bent over books that have nothing to do with me." And this has not come from Enid, this has not come from Del, this is from Brod's influence.

And finally it skips one of her A Level exams, so Brod serves as a catalyst to Viv to skip one of her A Level exams, because she says in Scene Five when she's telling Del, I skipped one of my A Level exams, "No matter how hard I search myself in them books, I'm never there." And again, this is Brod's influence from Scene Two, where he really makes Viv reflect on her education, and in fact explicitly says to Enid, you are teaching these girls all wrong.

So check for understanding, so that we can understand the function of the character of Brod.

True or false? Brod encourages Viv to skip one of her A Level exams. Pause the video and select your response now.

Well done if you selected false.

Now I'd like you to justify your answer.

Is it A, Brod encourages Viv to question her education, and connect to her cultural heritage, but he's not explicit about how she should do this.

Or B, Brod encourages Viv to take a gap year, and perhaps even forget university, but doesn't mention her A Level exams. Pause the video and select your justification now.

Well done if you selected A.

So it's a bit of a tricky question, this check for understanding, actually, Brod encourages Viv to skip one of her A Level exams, because some of you might have selected true, or he does encourage her, but Pinnock actually shows he never explicitly says you should skip one of your A Level exams. He just says, you should know about your cultural identity, you should know about your cultural heritage.

And it is Viv's reaction to this, Viv decides, well, my reaction to this, to Brod's influence, is going to be to skip one of my A Level exams, but he doesn't tell her to do that.

Now we're gonna have another single-paragraph outline, so you're going to end this lesson with two single-paragraph outlines, both focused on the character of Brod.

So these will be excellent things either to start the basis of a full analytical essay, or part of a plan which you want to develop later, but you've now got two, or you will have two, really solid single-paragraph outlines focused on Pinnock's use of the character of Brod.

So I'd like you to continue reading Scene Two from Viv who says, "That's sad, man" to Brod, "tell everybody else how them hand stink." So another section of Scene Two, another rereading.

And as you read, I'd like you to complete the single-paragraph outline, detailing how Brod serves as a catalyst for Viv's journey with education.

So last time we were looking at Brod as a foil to Enid, and this time we're looking at Brod as a catalyst for Viv's journey with education.

Let's have a look at the single-paragraph outline.

You've still got a concluding sentence, so you are working towards the idea that ultimately Viv finds her own path to understanding her identity, but Brod's influence is clearly an important factor in her journey.

But this time I'd like you to write the topic sentence, write a full sentence using the keyword catalyst.

And again, just like you did in learning cycle one, I'd like you to collect three to four references or quotations which support the topic sentence, and writing some rough notes about how you will explore these references.

So first thing is to continue reading Scene Two, the short section that's detailed on the board, and then you will complete this single-paragraph outline focusing this time on the idea that Brod is a catalyst for Viv's journey with education.

So gather your "Leave Taking", gather your pen, your paper, your laptop, what it is you're going to write on, pause the video and complete these two tasks now.

Welcome back after another really successful rereading of a short section of the play, and a really focused understanding of the way in which Brod serves as a catalyst for Viv's journey with education.

As I say, you are now looking in front of you, you will have two single-paragraph outlines, fantastic plans for an essay on the character of Brod, should you wish to complete a full essay.

Now I'd just like to do some self-assessment, just making sure those topic sentences, those single-paragraph outlines, are as strong as they need to be.

So here's Izzy's topic sentence.

She wrote, "Pinnock presents Brod as an important catalyst in Viv's questioning of her schooling." So really fantastic use of the keyword there, catalyst, a very clear sentence.

I know that she's now going to explore Brod as a catalyst in Viv's questioning of her schooling.

So that's great.

So Izzy's topic sentence uses the keyword correctly, and it's written in a full sentence, so it can't just be note form, that's only for the supporting detail, this needs to be a full sentence.

So I'd like you to self-assess your topic sentence, ensuring it meets Izzy's checklist.

Pause the video and just self-assess your topic sentence.

Pause the video now.

Fantastic self-assessment there.

I saw a few people just making sure that they had an actual full sentence rather than rough notes, and a few people editing to make sure that they've got that word catalyst used correctly in their topic sentence.

Now let's have another look at Izzy's pieces of supporting detail.

So this time she selected for her supporting detail, "'You.

are descendant from Queen Nanny', Brod educates Viv about an important historical figure that her own curriculum ignores; 'descended', this is someone Viv can connect to, unlike her current knowledge." So we've got a nice short quotation there, and then some notes just to help Izzy think, well, if I was exploring this quotation in an analytical paragraph, what would I actually say? So Izzy's supporting details supports the topic sentence and concluding sentence, and includes a rough notes, which will support analysis.

So I'd like you to self-assess your supporting detail, ensuring that it meets Izzy's checklist.

Pause the video, and just as you self-assess your topic sentence, and made any changes you needed to make sure you do that for your references as well.

Pause the video and complete that self-assessment now.

Well done for completing that final bit of self-assessment.

You are now looking at two fantastic single-paragraph outlines about two thirds of a plan for an essay all focused on the character of Brod, and really thinking about him as a foil to Enid, and as a catalyst of Viv, so thinking about his dramatic function.

In summary, Jamaica was colonised by the British in 1655.

Until Jamaica achieved independence in 1962, its education system was largely Eurocentric.

Arguably, Brod is a foil to Enid, he criticises British institutions, policies, and attitudes in a way that she does not.

Arguably, Brod is a catalyst for Viv's questioning of her education.

It has been such a pleasure to work through today's lesson with you, and to see you build really successful single-paragraph outlines.

I'm so looking forward to seeing you next time.