Exploration Two By Thomas

Thomas Kurek

English 1110.01 at 1:30, MW

8/29/18

My name is Thomas Kurek. I am the son of Edward and Karissa Kurek and will be 17 on August 30th. I have a brother named Daniel, a sister named Cassandra. My fun fact is that I am a three sport athlete and have a yellow Labrador retriever named Rosebud, who's 7 years old. I pride myself on being a jack of all trades. Not only do I play football, basketball, and track, but I also participate in 4-H as the club secretary and dabbled in theater until my freshman year of
high school. This is my second semester at OSU Marion. I took 1148 college algebra over the summer semester and enjoyed it so much that I wanted to take more classes in the fall.

When first getting told to read a textbook for a class, it's hard for most people not to have a preconceived notion that it will be dull, boring, or pointless. However, I love reading intellectual books and was able to dive right in. Frankly, I learned a lot. But one of the things that really stood out to me was the story of Tina. For those who are unaware, Tina was a student who wrote an essay about whether or not adultery is forgivable. This brief passage shows how Tina truly feels about the topic of adultery, which is that it's absolutely unforgivable proclaiming that she, "would have dumped him" with the him being her boyfriend. It then tells how Tina was able to look past her own biases and keep an open mind to what other people would think about it. The passage makes it clear that it is crucial to understand all perspectives on an issue that is being written about, which is a very positive message in an age where division and intolerance is widespread. It then ends with the statement that, "Tina was engaged in an act of inquiry." This leads into the topic of what the purpose of writing is and the spirit of inquiry which according to The Curious Writer is, "a kind of perspective toward the world that invites questions, accepts uncertainty, and makes each of us feel responsibility for what we say." This central theme is crucial to understanding the rest of the reading. Page by page, I added more onto my metaphorical tower of writing competence and knowledge. Each step of the way, these ideas were expanded upon in a way that made sense and was constructive. However, it wouldn't have mattered if the book started with a shaky start or the whole tower would twist and turn until it would eventually fall. That's why this beginning passage stood out to me. It truly set up the text in a way that was understandable and insightful.