Objectives

• Analyse how Zephaniah uses the ironic refrain 'no problem' to expose the gap between the speaker's claimed belonging and the racism he actually faces.
• Identify and explain how diction, tone, and direct address construct the speaker's assertive Black British identity across the poem.
• Evaluate how Zephaniah's use of dialect, non-standard spelling, and dub-poetry form functions as political protest against mainstream literary and social culture.
• Write an evidenced analytical paragraph that embeds at least two quotations from the poem and links language choices to the poem's critique of institutionalised racism in 1990s Britain.
• Contextualise the poem within the post-Brixton-riots debate about race and citizenship, explaining how that context shapes the poem's tone and purpose.

The sequence

1. Lesson 1: What Does 'No Problem' Actually Mean? Close Reading the Whole Poem

   55 min · ch. 1

   Do now

   Read the poem quietly. On a sticky note, jot down the one word or phrase that surprises you the most — this could be a word that seems out of place, one that keeps appearing, or one whose tone you find hard to define. As you walk by, stick it on the board.

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of the opening two stanzas, paying particular attention to the line 'I am not de problem' and the transition from third-person accusation ('dem seh') to first-person assertion ('I am'). Demonstrate to students that the non-standard spelling of 'de' and 'dem' is not a mistake but a conscious political choice: Zephaniah uses the style of dub poetry and Jamaican Creole to assert a voice that mainstream literary English often seeks to silence. Annotate on the board how the refrain 'no problem' builds irony — with each repetition, the problem becomes more apparent, not less.

   Independent task

   Students will annotate their own copy of the poem, focusing on stanzas 3 through the end. For each stanza, they need to: (1) identify one choice related to language or form—such as a specific word, a piece of dialect, a line break, or a direct address—and (2) write one sentence explaining what this choice reveals about the speaker's relationship with British society. After that, they should compose a short paragraph (5–7 sentences) that addresses this question: How does Zephaniah use the speaker's voice to challenge the notion that he is an outsider? Students are required to quote at least two specific lines from the poem in their paragraph.

   Exit ticket

   In one sentence, explain why Zephaniah repeats the phrase 'no problem' throughout the poem rather than stating his argument directly — what does the repetition do that a direct statement could not?

2. Lesson 2: Writing the Argument: How Zephaniah Presents Identity and Belonging

   55 min · ch. 1

   Do now

   Without referring to your notes, jot down three things you recall from the poem we covered in the last lesson: identify one language technique used by Zephaniah, note one quotation that could support your essay, and mention one context detail regarding when and why the poem was created. Share your three points with a partner and discuss to fill in any missing information.

   Teacher input

   Model the construction of a high-band analytical paragraph using the P-E-E-C structure (Point, Evidence, Explanation, Context) based on the line 'I no ask fe dis' from the later stanzas of the poem. Begin by showing students how to embed this quotation smoothly into a sentence. Then, focus on analyzing the word 'ask,' explaining that the speaker portrays himself as a passive recipient of racism rather than its instigator. Next, connect this analysis to the post-Brixton riots context, highlighting that the poem was written in 1992, a time when Black British citizens were still advocating for acknowledgment of their full citizenship. Finally, emphasize that context serves as a lens through which to interpret the poem rather than as a standalone paragraph.

   Independent task

   Students are tasked with writing a complete analytical paragraph (200–250 words) within a 25-minute time frame, responding to the question: "How does Zephaniah present the speaker's sense of identity in 'No Problem'?" Your paragraph should begin with a clear statement about how identity is developed in the poem. Include at least two quotations — one from the poem's opening (such as, "I was born and bred in England" or "I am not de problem") and another from the later stanzas (for example, "I no ask fe dis" or the final refrain). Analyze the impact of specific word choices or dialect features in each quotation. Finally, conclude with a sentence that ties the poem's themes to its 1992 context of institutionalized racism and the ongoing discussions surrounding Black British citizenship.

   Exit ticket

   Write one sentence that completes this thought: the most important thing Zephaniah wants a reader to understand about identity in this poem is _______ — and the single word or phrase from the poem that proves it is _______ because _______.

Activities

Assessment

• Sticky-note tone tracker at the start of Lesson 1 — checking whether students can identify the speaker's assertive rather than defeated tone before any teaching.
• Annotation task in Lesson 1 independent work — checking whether students can connect a specific language or form choice to the speaker's relationship with British society, not just label a technique.
• Exit ticket at the end of Lesson 1 — checking whether students understand that the repetition of 'no problem' is ironic and cumulative, not merely decorative.
• Do-now recall task at the start of Lesson 2 — checking retention of technique, quotation, and context from the previous lesson.
• P-E-E-C paragraph swap mid-Lesson 2 — checking whether students can embed quotation grammatically and link language analysis to the poem's political context before the timed write.

Standards covered

Common Core 11 12

• RL.11-12.1 — Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• RL.11-12.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyse the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
• RL.11-12.5 — Analyse how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it, and manipulate time create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.
• RL.11-12.6 — Analyse a case in which grasping a point of view requires distinguishing what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant (e.g. satire, irony, understatement).

AP Literature

• Literary Argumentation (LAN-1) — Explain the function of a narrator or speaker in a literary text, including how the speaker's perspective shapes meaning.
• Figurative Language (FIG-1) — Explain the function of specific words and phrases in a literary text, including how connotation, irony, and tone contribute to meaning.
• Literary and Intellectual Concepts (LIT-1) — Explain how a literary text's form and structure contribute to its overall meaning and effect.
• Contextualizing Interpretations (CON-1) — Describe how the historical, cultural, or social context of a literary text is relevant to its interpretation.

AQA

• AO1 — Read, understand and respond to texts; maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response; use textual references, including quotations, to support and illustrate interpretations.
• AO2 — Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.
• AO3 — Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written and received.

Edexcel

• AO1 — Develop an informed response to a text; use concepts and terminology; write in an appropriate register.
• AO2 — Analyse and evaluate how writers use language, form and structure to create meaning and impact.
• AO3 — Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received.

IB Lit

• Strand 1: Readers, writers and texts — Analyse how the use of language, structure, technique and style shapes meaning in a literary text.
• Strand 2: Time and space — Explain how the context in which a text was written and received affects its meaning and the ways it can be interpreted.