New
New
Year 10
AQA
Winsome Pinnock’s ‘Leave Taking’: the character of Enid
I can explore how Pinnock presents Enid’s past and Enid’s present.
New
New
Year 10
AQA
Winsome Pinnock’s ‘Leave Taking’: the character of Enid
I can explore how Pinnock presents Enid’s past and Enid’s present.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- Enid faced hardship growing up in Jamaica.
- Enid experienced a strong sense of community growing up in Jamaica.
- Enid’s life in England is still characterised by hardship.
- Arguably, Enid is more isolated in Britain than in Jamaica.
Keywords
Hardship - A synonym for difficulty or suffering.
Destitute - A synonym for extreme poverty
Isolated - Being alone, without friends, help or support.
Common misconception
Enid's life in Jamaica was terrible. It wasn't hard for her to leave.
Enid faced limited opportunities in Jamaica, but leaving also meant she forever altered her relationships with her family and community.
Enid's life in Jamaica is presented as impoverished. Consider how you will engage with the reasons for this, articulated by Brod as "colonialism. Imperialism. Vampirism. They [the British colonisers] suck blood outta the island, suck them dry".
Teacher tip
Equipment
You need access to a copy of Winsome Pinnock's 'Leave Taking' published by Nick Hern Books.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), 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 Two of 'Leave Taking', Enid tells Del: "I work jobs seven days a week."
Q2.
In 'Leave Taking', what is true of both Brod and Enid?
They both suppress their memories of Jamaica.
They both dream about Jamaica.
They both work two jobs in England.
Q3.
In Scene Four of 'Leave Taking', Enid tells Viv, "I come from the family in the whole a Jamaica."
Q4.
In Scene Two of 'Leave Taking', Brod talks about Jamaica's poverty. He says, "And why they [Jamaicans] poor? Because a . Imperialism."
Q5.
Pinnock's parents migrated from Jamaica to England. They faced hostility. In her introduction to 'Leave Taking', Pinnock says her parents "didn't and rarely discussed hardship."
Q6.
In her introduction to 'Leave Taking', Pinnock says her parents and their generation "had been indoctrinated by a colonialist that lionised (celebrated) all things British."
Exit quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
In Scene Eight of 'Leave Taking', what do we find out about Viv's future plans?
She is going to study English Literature at university.
She is going to take a gap year before university.
She has decided against university.
She wants to become an obeah woman, like Del.
Q2.
In Scene Four of 'Leave Taking', Enid tells Viv that, when she was growing up in Jamaica, people used to make fun of her family. Why did they make fun of them?
because Enid wanted to migrate
because they were proud
because they enjoyed talking in tongues
because they trusted obeah men and women
Q3.
In Scene Two of 'Leave Taking', Enid says to Brod, "I proud a my girls."
Q4.
In Scene Eight of 'Leave Taking', Enid compares the rural poverty she faced in Jamaica to the poverty she faces in England. She says, "In a way, we poorer than them. Them all in it ."
Q5.
In Scene Three of 'Leave Taking', Enid recalls a church service in Jamaica. She says, "That service was ."
Q6.
In 'Leave Taking', how does Pinnock present Enid's life in England, compared to her life in Jamaica?
Enid was unemployed in Jamaica, unlike in England.
Enid faces destitution in England, like she did in Jamaica.