Prejudice – Vocabulary Word & The Hidden Bias in Harper Lee’s Courtroom | Premier Writing Lab
05/14/25 • 5 min
Premier Writing Lab's Word of the Day explores "prejudice" through Harper Lee's powerful courtroom scene in To Kill a Mockingbird, showing how preconceived opinions can override truth and justice. Tom Robinson's tragic trial demonstrates how prejudice functions not just as a concept but as a destructive force that blinds people to evidence and perpetuates injustice.
• Definition: Prejudice is a preconceived opinion not based on reason, experience, or evidence
• Synonyms include bias, discrimination, intolerance, bigotry, and preconception
• Tom Robinson's trial shows how racial prejudice overrides clear evidence of innocence
• Harper Lee demonstrates that prejudice is taught, not innate, suggesting it can be unlearned
• The word can be used in multiple contexts: describing attitudes, social issues, and consequences
• Standing against prejudice requires courage, clarity, and compassion
Word Lab Challenge: Write a paragraph explaining how prejudice influenced Tom Robinson's trial outcome, then rewrite using the adjective form "prejudiced" to describe at least one character in the courtroom.
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Premier Writing Lab's Word of the Day explores "prejudice" through Harper Lee's powerful courtroom scene in To Kill a Mockingbird, showing how preconceived opinions can override truth and justice. Tom Robinson's tragic trial demonstrates how prejudice functions not just as a concept but as a destructive force that blinds people to evidence and perpetuates injustice.
• Definition: Prejudice is a preconceived opinion not based on reason, experience, or evidence
• Synonyms include bias, discrimination, intolerance, bigotry, and preconception
• Tom Robinson's trial shows how racial prejudice overrides clear evidence of innocence
• Harper Lee demonstrates that prejudice is taught, not innate, suggesting it can be unlearned
• The word can be used in multiple contexts: describing attitudes, social issues, and consequences
• Standing against prejudice requires courage, clarity, and compassion
Word Lab Challenge: Write a paragraph explaining how prejudice influenced Tom Robinson's trial outcome, then rewrite using the adjective form "prejudiced" to describe at least one character in the courtroom.
Post Roll 1 Support
Visit our Shop and check out our bundles (Eps. 1-12 Bundle is FREE!), which include:
- Student Worksheets and Teacher Answer Keys for Each Episode
- Vocabulary Quizzes and Answer Keys
- Vocabulary Flash Cards + Sample Templates
- Teacher Guide & Common Core Standards Alignment
- Monthly Episode Guide (Novel, Episode #, Episode Title & Vocabulary Word)
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Previous Episode
Reclusive – Boo Radley’s Solitude Explained | SAT Word from To Kill a Mockingbird | Premier Writing Lab
We explore the word "reclusive" through the lens of Boo Radley, the mysterious neighbor from "To Kill a Mockingbird" who challenges our assumptions about solitude and human connection. His story reveals how a withdrawn lifestyle doesn't diminish one's capacity for kindness and compassion.
• Definition of reclusive: avoiding others' company, living in seclusion or apart from society
• Synonyms include isolated, withdrawn, solitary, hermit-like, and private
• Boo Radley initially portrayed through children's fearful imaginations as monstrous
• Deeper exploration reveals Boo's quiet acts of kindness: gifts in the knothole, mended pants, protection
• Reclusiveness doesn't equal danger but can indicate someone society has failed to understand
• Examples of using "reclusive" as an adjective and "reclusively" as an adverb in various contexts
Share your sentences using "reclusive" and "reclusively" to describe Boo Radley in the comments.
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Next Episode
Benevolence – Kindness as Resistance in To Kill a Mockingbird | SAT Word of the Day | Premier Writing Lab
We explore the word "benevolence," examining its meaning as a desire to do good to others through kindness, generosity, and goodwill, while demonstrating how it serves as a powerful force of unity in divided communities.
• Definition of benevolence as the genuine, selfless inclination to help, give and care
• Examples of benevolence in "To Kill a Mockingbird" through Miss Maudie, Atticus Finch, and Boo Radley
• How small acts of kindness can become forms of resistance in divided societies
• Practical examples showing how to use "benevolence" in various contexts
• The significance of benevolence as a reminder of human capacity for goodness
Think of a scene in To Kill a Mockingbird where someone demonstrates benevolence. Write a short paragraph describing the moment. Then rewrite it using the adjective benevolent to describe the person or action.
Post Roll 1 Support
Visit our Shop and check out our bundles (Eps. 1-12 Bundle is FREE!), which include:
- Student Worksheets and Teacher Answer Keys for Each Episode
- Vocabulary Quizzes and Answer Keys
- Vocabulary Flash Cards + Sample Templates
- Teacher Guide & Common Core Standards Alignment
- Monthly Episode Guide (Novel, Episode #, Episode Title & Vocabulary Word)
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Premier Writing Lab's Word of the Day - Prejudice – Vocabulary Word & The Hidden Bias in Harper Lee’s Courtroom | Premier Writing Lab
Transcript
Welcome to Premier Writing Lab's Word of the Day , the ultimate resource for mastering advanced vocabulary for exams and everyday use . Today we step into the courtroom of Maycomb County , a room filled with murmurs , tension and tightly held beliefs . It's the scene of one of literature's most devastating trials the state of Alabama versus Tom Robinson , the State of Alabama vs Tom R
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