My (Minority Opinion) Affection for Semicolons

A couple of days ago, I happened to look down at the keyboard on my five-year-old laptop at home, and suddenly noticed that the most smudged key -- a sure sign of frequent usage -- was the semicolon key. I chuckled to myself, as I have long had a special (geeky, I know) affection for the semicolon, which is not, I know, the majority opinion. Many English instructors and others interested in language believe that few people know how to use semicolons correctly any more. For example, a few years ago, one of my daughter's high school English teachers was so exasperated with their misuse that she preemptively banned their use in her students' papers. I was somewhat annoyed at this edict, as I had made sure that my daughter knew how to use them! I also make sure my students know how to use them. In a nice coincidence, a day after I noticed my smudged semi-colon key, a Facebook friend posted a lovely, graceful 1979 Lewis Thomas essay (from his book "The Medusa and the Snail") about punctuation, which included the following sentences: "I have grown fond of semicolons in recent years. The semicolon tells you that there is still some question about the preceding full sentence; something needs to be added; it reminds you sometimes of the Greek usage. It is almost always a greater pleasure to come across a semicolon than a period....with a semicolon there you get a pleasant little feeling of expectancy; there is more to come;... it will get better."