Weekly Journal 2

Jasmine Woodard
Sep 6, 2018 · 6 min read

8/30/18 9:40–11:00AM

Today in class we discussed Book 1 of The Odyssey. The story itself is extremely interesting and I loved how it related to the conversation of what it means to be a leader and mentor. We used our homework to frame our discussion for class today. The questions asked were about how Athena qualifies to be a mentor, how Telemachus prepared himself to take over his father’s home and how these events could be a good way to become a leader in the present day. We analyzed different passages throughout the first book where we discussed how Athena became Telemachus’s mentor and how that translates to a present day mentor. From the beginning of the story, Athena immediately shows how she has taken on being Telemachus’s mentor before she even meets him. She advocates for him while speaking with the other Gods and they grant her the opportunity to bestow menos or mental activation on Telemachus. Mentors are those who get you to see different possibilities and then encourage you to pursue those possibilities and that is what she planned to do by telling him the news of his father being alive. We also asked ourselves the question, was Telemachus ready for a mentor and how do we know he was ready? This question answers itself as the story moves along and we see where Telemachus has good xenia or hospitality where he shows Athena posed as Mentes great compassion and exhibits how he is ready for reciprocity in adult relationships. How does Athena get Telemachus to be a leader? After she reveals his father is still alive, she almost challenges him by asking if he is really the son of Odysseus and how can he call himself the son of his father if he let the suitors treat him like this. With this new found sense of hope, we can see where Telemachus begins to question himself and his actions up until this point. Athena activates him shame and then gives him specific instructions on how to deal with the suitors. I found it interesting that Greeks in general accept shame with open arms because they saw it as an opportunity to improve themselves. This made me think about leaders and how they have to be open to criticisms in order to better themselves to lead. All of Athena’s actions up until this point could not have done anything for Telemachus had she not revealed her true self to him as she left. This turned from this vague idea from a stranger to something real and possible now that he sees he was speaking to a God. After this short encounter, we saw that Telemachus changed and how he will address the suitors that have taken over him home. I am excited to discuss this story more.

9/3/18 8:30–11:50PM

I reread Book 2 of The Odyssey. Here we see Telemachus really putting action to his words as he addresses the city and asking the suitors the leave. The reaction from the men was expected in how they said his mother should be given away by her father. Telemachus, however, speaks of his connection with the gods, which is shown by the birds flying down during the meeting. This seemed to slightly discourage him but not enough to steer him away from going on his quest. Athena was a huge help as well as she helped gather the men needed for this journey and the supplies as well. Telemachus kept his faith in the gods and when he saw the men on the boat, I believe he was reassured again that this trip was meant to be and find his father. I also did my homework where we created a chart of how Athena helped mentor Telemachus and how this translated into him becoming a leader. We then had to pick out what we felt would help a person in this day and age find or attract a mentor. This part of the assignment was confusing to me because on the one end we discussed what Athena did as a mentor and then on the other end discussing what one can do to attract a mentor. I found this assignment a little more difficult to do because I had to think a little deeper from this, but I looked at how Telemachus was open to being mentored and I realized that was a huge part of it all. It was also his ability to establish reciprocal adult relationships and respect those relationships that prepared him for mentorship. I believe this is another trait one can exhibit to attract a mentor. The next thing I did was listen to Dr. Sandridge’s podcast called The Art of Leadership. He interviewed a woman by the name of Susannah Wellford who is the head of an organization called Running Start. Dr. Sandridge’s show was different in that he challenged his guest to think critically about herself and how she leads others while teaching others to lead. Ms. Wellford tackled these questions straight on and kept her head about her. She even challenged herself and at one point changed her perspective during the conversation. All in all it was a great discussion to listen to her thoughts about being a leader and what it meant to her.

9/4/18 9:40–11:00AM

Today in class we discussed a few lasting excerpts from The Odyssey Book 1, 2 and 3 and how they relate to Athena’s mentorship and Telemachus’s growth in becoming a leader. We also discussed our homework where we listened to a podcast by Dr. Sandridge. He interviewed Susannah Wellford, the president and founder of Running Start, an organization that helps women become leaders in their communities. I enjoyed their conversation and the purpose of her organization along with her candid and openness about how she feels about being a leader and what kind of leader she is. She placed an emphasis on establishing trust with her program participants and that this trust helps her lead. She also touched on a few harder things to do as a leader like call out someone when needed to help them better themselves. Dr. Sandridge and Ms. Wellford both agreed that this seems to be harder for women to execute than men. The way her program is run is very synonymous to how Athena was a mentor to Telemachus. In the program, they equip young girls with skills and confidence to become leaders, similar to Athena bestowing menos on Telemachus and helping him gather the men and ship he needed to go and seek his father’s allies. There is also an emphasis on networking and its importance at Running Start just like how Athena commanded Telemachus to go seek out his father’s allies. There are a lot of parallels between the Running Start program and The Odyssey in the road to becoming a leader and how to be a good mentor. One hang up was that it seems that women still have things to work on as leaders because it seems to be harder for us to activate ‘aidos’ or shame in others for them to see the best in themselves and that they are not fulfilling their potential. I sometimes have this issue while trying to constructively criticize someone because I’m thinking about how they feel, but on the other hand, this emotional intelligence can help me in other aspects of leadership.

9/5/18 1:37–4:22PM

Today I discussed these topics with my friends outside of class in order to test my knowledge on what we’ve already learned. This is class is interesting to me so I thought it would be fun to explain it to others. While doing this, I kept in mind the leadership and mentorship qualities we discussed in class that stood out and I realized I exhibited those qualities as well. There is still much more to learn but I think I’m off to a great start. Telemachus started with Athena and hopefully I’ll find my next mentor soon to help me on my life path.