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Year 10
AQA

Winsome Pinnock’s ‘Leave Taking’: the character of Del

I can explain how Pinnock presents the character of Del, and explores the theme of identity through her character.

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Year 10
AQA

Winsome Pinnock’s ‘Leave Taking’: the character of Del

I can explain how Pinnock presents the character of Del, and explores the theme of identity through her character.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Unlike Viv, Del appears uninterested in obeah and her culture at the start of the play.
  2. Del feels her opportunities in life are hampered by the fact she is a second generation immigrant.
  3. Del struggles to see where she fits in with both her family and Britain.
  4. At the end of the play, Del’s calling to obeah could reflect a sense of understanding about her place in the world.

Keywords

  • First generation immigrant - A person who was born in one country, but moves to live and establish their life in another country.

  • Second generation immigrant - People who have grown up in a country that at least one of their parents was not born in.

  • Discrimination - Unjust treatment of people based on certain characteristics. For example, race, gender, age.

  • Calling - A strong urge or impulse towards a particular career, or path in life.

  • Home - A place where you live. The word home is often connected to ideas of belonging, and security.

Common misconception

Del is uninterested in obeah until Mai realises it is her calling.

Del's interest in obeah is foreshadowed from Scene One onwards.


To help you plan your year 10 english lesson on: Winsome Pinnock’s ‘Leave Taking’: the character of Del, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Consider how you will make clear the detail required for the bullet pointed notes in both learning cycles. Consider whether you need to model more than one, or complete the first set of notes as a class.
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Teacher tip
equipment-required

Equipment

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

content-guidance

Content guidance

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

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), 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.
In Scene One of 'Leave Taking', what does Del call obeah?
Correct answer: mumbo jumbo
Correct answer: nonsense
spooky dooky
Correct answer: voodoo
healing
Q2.
In Scene One of 'Leave Taking', Viv tells Del she wants to go to the West Indies. What reason does she give?
Her grandmother has asked to see her.
Mai suggested they go.
She knows Del wants to go and wants to go with her.
She knows it would please Enid.
Correct answer: Brod told her it will help her understand who she is.
Q3.
In Scene Two of 'Leave Taking', Del tells her mother that she is angry at "managers who treat us like the of the low."
Correct Answer: lowest, Lowest., lowest., "lowest", Lowest
Q4.
In Scene Six of 'Leave Taking', Mai speaks of her son. What does she say of him?
He ran away from home, like Del.
He is at peace with his identity.
Correct answer: He didn't feel British despite being born in England.
Correct answer: He was always dreaming of escape.
She was an indulgent mother.
Q5.
In Scene One of 'Leave Taking', Viv says she wants to visit the West Indies to find out about her cultural roots and thus become more secure in her identity. Del responds, "I know who I am."
Correct Answer: already, Already, already., "already", Already.
Q6.
In Scene One of 'Leave Taking', Mai tells Enid about her journey to becoming an obeah woman. Mai says her mother discovered she had the " " when she was thirteen.
Correct Answer: gift, Gift., "gift", gift., Gift

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
In Scene Five of 'Leave Taking', Mai describes becoming an obeah woman as her " ".
Correct Answer: calling, Calling, "calling", Calling., calling.
Q2.
In Scene Two of 'Leave Taking', Del and Enid have their biggest conflict. Why is Del particularly angry with Enid?
because she is a first generation immigrant
because she is preparing excessively to for the Pastor's visit
Correct answer: because she feels Enid ignores racial discrimination
Correct answer: because she feels Enid does not understand her experiences
because Enid says she can no longer go out dancing
Q3.
In 'Leave Taking', what are some of the challenges Del faces as a second generation immigrant?
Correct answer: She is the victim of racial discrimination.
She was fired because she was a second generation immigrant.
Correct answer: She is treated as less important than other citizens.
She can't get a job.
Correct answer: She is not afforded the same opportunities as other citizens.
Q4.
In Scene Seven of 'Leave Taking', what does Mai discover about Del?
that she is moving back in with her mother
that she stole a charm from her
Correct answer: that she has the "gift" of obeah
that Del is pregnant
that she was the one who invited Brod over
Q5.
In Scene Eight of 'Leave Taking', Enid and Del seem to reconcile. But Del still asks her mother, "Why did you have to make a big of everything?".
Correct Answer: secret, Secret, secret., "secret", Secret.
Q6.
In Scene Eight of 'Leave Taking', after Mai leaves Del to complete her first obeah reading, the stage directions describe Del moving " stage."
Correct Answer: centre, center, Center, Centre, "centre"