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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.

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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 His story reveals how a withdrawn lifestyle doesn't diminish one's capacity for kindness and compassion.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• Synonyms include isolated, withdrawn, solitary, hermit-like, and private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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Today we explore the word "perceptive" through Scout Finch's character journey in To Kill a Mockingbird, examining how her ability to see beyond surface appearances transforms her from a reactive child to a reflective young person.

• Perceptive means having deep understanding, insight or sensitivity to things not immediately obvious
• Scout Finch evolves from seeing the world in black and white to recognizing complex layers in people
• Scout's perceptiveness grows as she observes her father's calm response to hatred
• She learns to see Boo Radley's loneliness, Mayella Ewell's pain, and Tom Robinson's quiet dignity
• Perceptive minds make connections, ask questions, and recognize what others overlook
• The word can be used as an adjective (perceptive observations) or adverb (perceptively noticed)
• Growing up means learning to see the world and its people with empathy and clarity

Your WordLab challenge: Write a sentence describing when Scout shows perceptiveness, then rewrite it using the adverb "perceptively."

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