TED: A child of the state | Lemn Sissay

The speaker shares their experience growing up in foster care, highlighting the stigma and challenges faced by fostered individuals. They discuss the portrayal of foster care in literature and the historical context of adoption practices in the 1960s. Through personal anecdotes, the speaker reflects on the impact of these experiences on their identity and the importance of recognizing the rights and dignity of children in care.

Which of the following characters is NOT mentioned as being fostered, adopted, or orphaned?

• Harry Potter

• Pip from Great Expectations

• Sherlock Holmes

• Cinderella

What does the speaker emphasize that children in care need instead of pity?

• More financial support

• Respect

• Adoption

• Better education

In the 1960s, what was the societal view of single pregnant women?

• They were celebrated

• They were supported by the community

• They were seen as a threat

• They were ignored

What was the speaker's birth mother's plan for them?

• To have them fostered temporarily

• To have them adopted permanently

• To raise them herself

• To send them to a boarding school

How did the speaker's foster parents perceive them?

• As a blessing

• As a burden

• As a sign from God

• As a temporary guest

What led to the speaker's departure from their foster family?

• They were adopted by another family

• They ran away

• They chose to leave

• They were asked to leave

What action did the speaker take that led to their incarceration?

• They stole from a store

• They painted the children's home

• They got into a fight

• They ran away from the home

What was the nature of the place where the speaker was incarcerated?

• A school

• A foster home

• A hospital

• A remand center

What did the speaker seek to do after leaving the children's home?

• Find their family and write poetry

• Travel the world

• Start a business

• Become a social worker

According to the speaker, how can the strength of a democracy be measured?

• By its economic growth

• By its military power

• By how it treats its child of the state

• By its cultural influence