Professor and the Madman

• I can honestly say that I've always wondered how on earth the dictionary was produced. I always wondered how every word could be thought of and defined. I was intrigued to find that volunteers contributed. This will help when I compose my slang dictionary for our final. I can ask my students for slang words that they use, however, I have observed several. Just by talking with them and listening to them in the hallways, I can pick up on so much. I love my students and I love talking with them about their interests. I honestly communicate with them as much as I can. It is always school related, but some students like to just talk to me about their home or family, which I welcome. I will have no trouble composing my dictionary, so I doubt I will need to call for volunteers!
• At the beginning of this story, I kept thinking: "How did this lunatic become a doctor?" But then I realized, people are shaped by their environment and experiences. I do think that there was always something a little bit off about W.C. Minor and I think that was apparent since he was a child. However, his life undoubtedly caused his insanity. I was particularly saddened by his parental situation: his mother dying when he was child must have affected him psychologically and being sent away from his travelling family back to the United States is troubling. He must have felt horribly neglected and unwanted. I think that we need to be aware of these situations with our students and always make them feel welcome and appreciated, because horrible outcomes come from these feelings. It seems that the war was the biggest cause. I just read Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse-Five" for another class and I have concluded that absolutely nothing good can come from war. I was saddened when I read that even the author seemed to think that his madness was "triggered" by his experience as a surgeon where the brutality of war was visible.
• On a more positive note, he really was smart! I think that I can actually learn something from his genius. Clearly, I already know that reading increases vocabulary and I am obviously an advocate for the power of reading. But I was surprised to see that you can likely link Dr. Minor's intelligence to literacy and exposure to ethnic diversity as a child. Winchester says that "his father's printing tasks gave him access to literature and newspapers" and that he traveled a lot as a child, which resulted in learning many languages. Even in his room at the asylum, he built up a library and never stopped his interest in literature. I think it is incredible that one man compiled that many words to contribute to the OED. I guess he really stayed busy in there until his Schizophrenia got the best of him. How sad! However, that is an interesting history for his extended family to discover!