How does Emma influence Harriet while insisting that she has not influenced her?
Emma
30 minutes total
ByJane Austen
Grade9-10
Time30 minutes
Essential question
How does Emma influence Harriet while insisting that she has not influenced her?
Marked passage
Passage location
Chapter VII
Start anchor
While you were in the smallest degree wavering, I said nothing about it, because I would not influence
End anchor
You would have thrown yourself out of all good society.
Passage focus
Emma says she did not influence Harriet
Ways to teach it
Listening
Listen to the exact passage; visual following is optional. Same question and evidence demand.
Solo
Read the exact passage independently.
Supported
Use narration and sentence highlighting while reading the same passage.
Teacher guide
Close
Name the single detail that most changed or sharpened your interpretation, and explain why.
Evidence
Use Emma's claim of non-interference and at least two statements that reward or punish Harriet's possible choices socially.
Mark
Box Emma’s claim that she has not influenced Harriet. Underline every statement that praises one choice or degrades the other. Star the line that makes refusal feel socially costly.
Instructional move
Compare stated non-interference with actual pressure
Notice
• What would direct influence sound like if Emma simply ordered Harriet? • How does Emma pressure Harriet while preserving the appearance of freedom? • Why might indirect influence be harder for the influenced person to recognize?
Strong answer
Emma avoids direct command but creates pressure through approval, status, prediction, and the threat of social distance. Harriet remains formally free while Emma makes one option feel much harder to choose.
Think
Answer provisionally: How does Emma influence Harriet while insisting that she has not influenced her? Choose the strongest interpretation you can defend from this passage alone.
Watch for
Do not say influence requires an explicit order. The lesson is about pressure that preserves the appearance of choice.
Why this passage
Emma claims she has avoided influencing Harriet, yet the conversation is full of status judgments, predictions, and approval that make one choice socially safer than the other. Influence operates through pressure rather than command.
Write
Write a short evidence-based response to: How does Emma influence Harriet while insisting that she has not influenced her? Use at least two details from the assigned passage and explain how they support your interpretation.
Student tasks
Mark
Box Emma’s claim that she has not influenced Harriet. Underline every statement that praises one choice or degrades the other. Star the line that makes refusal feel socially costly.
Notice
What would direct influence sound like if Emma simply ordered Harriet? How does Emma pressure Harriet while preserving the appearance of freedom? Why might indirect influence be harder for the influenced person to recognize?
Think
Answer provisionally: How does Emma influence Harriet while insisting that she has not influenced her?
Write
Write a short response using at least two pieces of evidence from this passage. Use evidence from the assigned passage. Show what you noticed and how the text supports your interpretation.
Ready-to-teach lesson
TumbleTA 6-12 · TEXT-BASED LESSON
BATCH 09 · 9-10 · LESSON 180
Emma
Jane Austen
How does Emma influence Harriet while insisting that she has not
influenced her?
TOTAL TIME
PASSAGE
30 minutes
Emma says she did not influence Harriet
FIND THE ANCHOR TEXT
Use the Anchor Text Table of Contents in the Enhanced Reader to open the START anchor. Then use the dropdown to select the END anchor.
SECTION / LOCATION
Chapter VII
START
While you were in the smallest degree wavering, I said nothing about it, because I would not influence
END
You would have thrown yourself out of all good society.
PASSAGE ID
sec-emma-02
THE MOVE
Compare stated non-interference with actual pressure
WHY THIS PASSAGE
Emma claims she has avoided influencing Harriet, yet the conversation is full of status judgments, predictions, and approval that make one choice socially safer than the other. Influence operates through pressure rather than command.
MARK
Box Emma’s claim that she has not influenced Harriet. Underline every statement that praises one choice or degrades the other. Star the line that makes refusal feel socially costly.
page 1
NOTICE
What would direct influence sound like if Emma simply ordered Harriet?
How does Emma pressure Harriet while preserving the appearance of freedom?
Why might indirect influence be harder for the influenced person to recognize?
THINK
Answer provisionally: How does Emma influence Harriet while insisting that she has not influenced her? Choose the strongest interpretation you can defend from this passage alone.
WRITE
Write a short evidence-based response to: How does Emma influence Harriet while insisting that she has not influenced her? Use at least two details from the assigned passage and explain how they support your interpretation.
CLOSE
Name the single detail that most changed or sharpened your interpretation, and explain why.
STRONG ANSWER
Emma avoids direct command but creates pressure through approval, status, prediction, and the threat of social distance. Harriet remains formally free while Emma makes one option feel much harder to choose.
EVIDENCE
Use Emma's claim of non-interference and at least two statements that reward or punish Harriet's possible choices socially.
WATCH FOR
Do not say influence requires an explicit order. The lesson is about pressure that preserves the appearance of choice.
SOLO
Read the exact passage independently.
SUPPORTED
Use narration and sentence highlighting while reading the same passage.
LISTENING
Listen to the exact passage; visual following is optional. Same question and evidence demand.
page 2
STUDENT PAGE · SAME PASSAGE, SAME THINKING
Emma
Jane Austen
How does Emma influence Harriet while insisting that she has not
influenced her?
START ANCHOR
While you were in the smallest degree wavering, I said nothing about it, because I would not influence
END ANCHOR
You would have thrown yourself out of all good society.
Use the Anchor Text Table of Contents in the Enhanced Reader to open the START anchor. Then use the dropdown to select the END anchor.
OPEN THE MARKED PASSAGE IN TUMBLELIT
SOLO: read independently. SUPPORTED: use narration + highlighting. LISTENING: listen to the exact passage. The question and evidence task stay the same.
1.MARK - Box Emma’s claim that she has not influenced Harriet. Underline every statement that
praises one choice or degrades the other. Star the line that makes refusal feel socially costly.
2.NOTICE - What would direct influence sound like if Emma simply ordered Harriet? How does
Emma pressure Harriet while preserving the appearance of freedom? Why might indirect influence be harder for the influenced person to recognize?
3.THINK - Answer provisionally: How does Emma influence Harriet while insisting that she has
not influenced her?
4.WRITE - Write a short response using at least two pieces of evidence from this passage.
Use evidence from the assigned passage. Show what you noticed and how the text supports your interpretation.
page 3
Original printable PDF
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