Prejudice is a preconceived opinion or judgment without adequate knowledge or examination of the facts. I learned that prejudice is unfair and leads to intolerance, discrimination and racism. These aspects of prejudice are illustrated in the texts "To Kill a Mocking Bird" by Harper Lee, "Obesity: The Last Bastion of prejudice" by Sahale Flanagan, and "A Bridge to Wiseman's Cove" by James Moloney. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Intolerance towards particular groups of people based on prejudice and racism is found in “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. Atticus takes a lawsuit to defend a black man in a city where blacks are segregated and despised. This causes the entire town to turn against him and even his children because they can't accept one of them defending someone they hate. "Your daddy (Atticus) is a disgrace, and that nigger should hang from the water tower! " (p84) Due to the extreme racism ingrained in the community, the public display of intolerant behavior is accepted in the city. Similarly, the article Obesity: The Last Bastion of Prejudice by Sahale Flanagan, illustrates intolerant attitudes towards obese people based on stereotypical views. It uses the personal experience of a woman who experienced a sudden change in attitude toward her due to a 150-pound weight gain."...my children were embarrassed, friends felt sorry for me, and strangers were shamelessly disgusted by my presence.” - Leslie LampertUsing a personal experience, Flanagan shows the other side of the story and is able to emphasize the prejudice against the obese by invoking guilt and sympathy in the reader. Flanagan also uses the second person to be confrontational and outspoken in order to demonstrate the stereotypical and intolerant views of the obese. In this way, it makes the viewer feel responsible and embarrassed. “You probably think she smells bad, you pity her, you ridicule her…” These lyrics illustrate how intolerance based on prejudicial opinions is destructive and unjust. Discrimination is found in many places in "To Kill a Mockingbird", particularly with the trial of Tom Robinson. Tom is a black man, discriminated against due to racial prejudice. He is convicted of a crime despite all evidence suggesting he was innocent because he would be a threat in a community that views blacks as an inferior class if the word of a black man took precedence over that of two white men. better than a black man, who are you better then?"p186Harper Lee creates a solemn atmosphere during Tom's verdict to highlight the injustice and discrimination of the sentence. Using long sentences detailing each individual's movements he creates a depressed atmosphere , waiting for the inevitable." The foreman handed a piece of paper to Mr. Tate who passed it to the clerk who handed it to the judge... guilty. ..guilty...guilty..." p233Similarly, in "A Bridge to Wiseman's Cove" by James Moloney, Carl Matt is assumed to be a troublemaker and is not welcome on Wattle Beach simply because he bears the name Matt. Throughout the novel, there are numerous connotations of discriminating attitudes towards Carl due to an incident in the past involving his grandfather who was a Matt “I never thought I'd see it, Joy Duncan defending a Matt.” P85This discrimination is particularly evident when Carl tries to get a job on the barge Moloney uses a contrast of attitudes to highlight the discrimination.309)