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Year 11
Eduqas

The presentation of the male characters in Winsome Pinnock's in 'Leave Taking'

I can explain the choices Pinnock made about the male characters in ‘Leave Taking’.

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Year 11
Eduqas

The presentation of the male characters in Winsome Pinnock's in 'Leave Taking'

I can explain the choices Pinnock made about the male characters in ‘Leave Taking’.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Arguably, Pinnock centres women’s voices in ‘Leave Taking’.
  2. The character of Brod is the only onstage male character.
  3. Brod serves many important dramatic functions.
  4. Enid’s husband is an important off stage character.
  5. References to Enid’s husband help audiences understand the character of Enid and aspects of 1980s Britain.

Keywords

  • Dramatic function - the purpose of the character: how they help a playwright develop, emphasise and reveal certain ideas

  • Catalyst - something that causes a change or event to occur

  • Foil - a character who contrasts with another character

  • Insight - the ability to gain precise and profound (deep) understanding of someone or something

  • Develop - to increase, deepen and grow

Common misconception

You can't explore the dramatic function of off stage characters.

Off stage characters can help develop a world beyond the stage itself, grounding the play in its own reality.


To help you plan your year 11 english lesson on: The presentation of the male characters in Winsome Pinnock's in 'Leave Taking', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Consider how long pupils will need to create the table in learning cycle 2. It requires looking at 5 of the play's 8 scenes, with a focus on Enid's husband- often fleeting references. Once you have worked out the timing for this (and feedback), you can work out the timing for the rest of the lesson.
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Teacher tip
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Equipment

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

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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 Seven of 'Leave Taking', what does Brod tell Del?
that Viv is going to university to pursue Black Studies
that her grandmother is dead
that he had to pay £50 to complete a naturalisation process
Correct answer: that her father used to abuse her mother
that he visits his wife and children in Jamaica often
Q2.
Why does Del leave home in Scene Two of 'Leave Taking'?
she doesn't want to have dinner with the Pastor
she has a violent fight with Viv
Correct answer: she has a violent fight with Enid
she wants to move in with her boyfriend
she wants to move in with Mai
Q3.
The character of Brod is in three scenes of 'Leave Taking'. Match these scenes to their plot points.
Correct Answer:Scene Two,Brod questions Viv's Eurocentric education.
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Brod questions Viv's Eurocentric education.

Correct Answer:Scene Three,Brod talks to Enid about their past in Jamaica.
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Brod talks to Enid about their past in Jamaica.

Correct Answer:Scene Seven,Brod tells Del about her mother's experience of domestic abuse.
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Brod tells Del about her mother's experience of domestic abuse.

Q4.
In Scene One of 'Leave Taking', Mai asks Enid if she wants her husband back. How does Enid respond?
she says it's not possible because her husband has passed away
Correct answer: she says she doesn't want him back; she can raise her children herself
she says she wants him back as she needs help with her children, especially Del
she says she will come back another day for this but the focus this time is Del
she says her husband has returned to Jamaica
Q5.
In Scene Eight of 'Leave Taking', Del says to Enid, "Uncle Brod told me what that man did to you." What does she mean?
Brod has told her about her father's excessive drinking
Brod has told her about talking in tongues during a service in Jamaica
Brod has told her that Enid's father never spoke to her after she migrated
Correct answer: Brod has told her that her father used to abuse Enid
Brod has told her that her ex-boyfriend Roy has been round asking for Del
Q6.
In the introduction to 'Leave Taking', Pinnock says she created Enid as the heroine of the play because she "couldn't ever recall seeing such a character - a - as the lead in a British play."
Correct Answer: hospital cleaner

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Each of the words below will help you to analyse 'Leave Taking' as a play. Match the key words to their definitions.
Correct Answer:dramatic function,the purpose of a character in a play
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the purpose of a character in a play

Correct Answer:catalyst,something that causes a change or event to occur
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something that causes a change or event to occur

Correct Answer:foil,a character who contrasts with another character
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a character who contrasts with another character

Correct Answer:insight,the ability to gain precise and deep understanding of someone
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the ability to gain precise and deep understanding of someone

Correct Answer:develop,to increase, deepen and grow
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to increase, deepen and grow

Q2.
In 'Leave Taking', in what ways is Brod a foil to Enid?
Brod is a single parent, like Enid
Correct answer: Brod criticises Britain, Enid doesn't
Brod didn't complete the naturalisation process; Enid did
Correct answer: Brod thinks Del and Viv should know of their Jamaican roots; Enid doesn't
Brod worries about Del, just like Enid
Q3.
In 'Leave Taking', Brod serves as a for Viv's questioning of the education system.
Correct Answer: catalyst
Q4.
In 'Leave Taking', Enid's husband doesn't appear on stage but he is reference in a number of scenes. Match the scenes to the reference.
Correct Answer:Scene One,Enid tells Mai she doesn't want her husband back.
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Enid tells Mai she doesn't want her husband back.

Correct Answer:Scene Two,Del accuses her mother for being the reason her father left.
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Del accuses her mother for being the reason her father left.

Correct Answer:Scene Four,Enid tells Viv about her and her husband's plans before they migrated.
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Enid tells Viv about her and her husband's plans before they migrated.

Correct Answer:Scene Seven,Brod tells Del that her father used to abuse her mother.
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Brod tells Del that her father used to abuse her mother.

Correct Answer:Scene Eight,Del speaks of her father as "that man" knowing he abused her mother.
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Del speaks of her father as "that man" knowing he abused her mother.

Q5.
In Scene Seven of 'Leave Taking', Brod tells Del that her father faced racist attacks at work. He speaks to the effect of this, stating, "I never see a man eyes look so ... ."
Correct Answer: empty
Q6.
In Scene Seven of 'Leave Taking', Brod tells Del that her father faced racist attacks at work. He speaks to the effect of this, stating, "Buy you father change from a smiling boy into a ... ."
Correct Answer: hard man