Once, I was chatting with a student after class when our conversation was interrupted with a cell phone call from a dean informing her that she had been accepted with a full scholarship to medical school. In a three-minute conversation, she went from feeling somewhat glum to ecstatic. When she hung up, her cheeks were ruddy and she was almost literally jumping for joy. No doubt, the mere string of words did something to her gray matter. If you have ever received the body blow of a “Dear John” letter, you will not need anyone to prove to you that sentences can have a physical signature, that
...more
