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Year 10
Edexcel

Understanding the poem 'No Problem' by Benjamin Zephaniah

I can explain how Zephaniah presents racial conflict in Britain.

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Year 10
Edexcel

Understanding the poem 'No Problem' by Benjamin Zephaniah

I can explain how Zephaniah presents racial conflict in Britain.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Zephaniah was born in Birmingham, and grew up during the 1960s and 1970s.
  2. Growing up, Zephaniah suffered racial abuse.
  3. 'No Problem' is based on Zephaniah's own experiences; he is the speaker in the poem.
  4. The poem is about Zephaniah's self worth, growing up in a society which did not value him.
  5. Zephaniah was a dub poet who mostly performed his poetry with reggae music.

Keywords

  • Prejudice - preconceived opinion or judgement, often negative, towards a group

  • Racism - discrimination or prejudice based on race or ethnicity

  • Patois - regional or non-standard language, often characterised by slang or dialectical variations

  • Dub poet - a poet who performs their work to reggae music

Common misconception

Benjamin Zephaniah wrote in an exaggerated phonetic way to represent the accent of the speaker.

Zephaniah was a dub poet which meant that he performed his work aloud. This phonetic spelling should be viewed more as a transcription of Zephaniah's own cultural patois.


To help you plan your year 10 english lesson on: Understanding the poem 'No Problem' by Benjamin Zephaniah, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

You could show a video of Zephaniah reading the poem aloud as you are reading so students can hear the patois represented by the phonetic spelling.
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Teacher tip
equipment-required

Equipment

You will need access to a copy of 'No Problem' by Benjamin Zephaniah. You can find this poem in the Edexcel Poetry anthology ('Conflict' cluster)

content-guidance

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
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.
What is interpersonal conflict?
conflict in your own mind
Correct answer: conflict with another person
conflict between humans and the environment
conflict between whole states or societies
Q2.
What does 'diverse' mean?
resembling but not identical; sharing common traits
identical or consistent in form, nature, or quality
extending over or covering a shared area or time period
Correct answer: varied; encompassing a range of differences or distinct elements
Q3.
What is the definition of Rastafari?
Correct answer: a Jamaican religious and cultural movement, focused on spirituality and heritage
an Indian religious and cultural movement, focused on community and mindfulness
a sport commonly played in the Caribbean
a language spoken by people in many African countries
Q4.
Which of the following are types of informal language?
Correct answer: non-Standard English spellings
academic language
Correct answer: contractions e.g. can't, won't
using commas to separate items in a list
Q5.
Which of the following is an example of a phonetic spelling?
rhythm
Correct answer: rih-thum
rhythmically
rhyme
Q6.
What is a 'stereotype'?
simplified, exaggerated representation, emphasising physical characteristics
direct opposite or contrast of something
Correct answer: widely held but oversimplified, often inaccurate belief about a group of people

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is prejudice?
treating people equally, regardless of their background, gender or sexuality
preferring to spend time with people who have similar interests to you
Correct answer: preconceived opinion or judgement, often negative, towards a group
the first stage in a criminal prosecution trial
Q2.
What is patois?
Correct answer: a non-standard form of a language, often associated with a particular community
informal language or expressions commonly used in everyday conversation
a variation of language associated with a particular social class
an individual's unique style of language, influenced by personal experiences
Q3.
In the opening of 'No Problem', Zephaniah challenges negative stereotypes that ...
Correct answer: black people are naturally more athletic than academic.
women aren't physically strong.
working class people are lazy and uneducated.
Q4.
What does 'versatile' mean?
highly skilled in particular skill area
struggling to do something, even after lots of practice
Correct answer: capable of adapting or performing various tasks
a natural talent for something
Q5.
In the final stanza of 'No Problem', the tone ...
intensifies and becomes frustrated and angry.
shifts to one that is sad and confused about the world.
Correct answer: shifts to a more serious one.
builds tension towards the final line of the poem.
Q6.
Which type of conflict can we see in the poem 'No Conflict'?
Correct answer: interpersonal
internal
introverted
inverted
international