2008 Woodie Awards
'Odyssey' inspires discussion of heroic women as mentors
Jessica Blackstock
Issue date: 2/4/05 Section: Front Page
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Susan Ford Wiltshire, a woman who is driven and full of ambition, presented herself on Jan. 27 as a speaker on the topic, "Heroic Women of the Classical Period," part of the Creative Minds series organized by Carol Nicklaus, a humanities professor.
"She is a great scholar of the classical period and is originally from the Panhandle," Nicklaus said.
Wiltshire said she longed to be a college professor, a field in which all her mentors were male.
In her lecture, she told a story of Athena in The Odyssey. Athena was a goddess who was in disguise in a world of male domination.
In every case, Athena changes the lives of those for whom she becomes a companion.
"A companion is someone who shares bread with us," Wiltshire said. "So these manifestations of mentors in The Odyssey are those with whom we can be close enough to share bread."
The story begins with a man named Odysseus and his journey to get home.
The Attendant Elder Mentor, an old family friend (Athena in disguise) tells Telemachus to take control and accompanies him on a sea journey to find news of his father.
"An attendant elder in our life can provide your intuition," Wiltshire said. "They have confidence in our own ability. They want us to be who we are."
The Family Member Mentor is Penelope's sister (Athena), who was standing by her side in grief of the disappearance of her son, providing reassurance.
Children also can be mentors, Wiltshire said. Athena takes a form of a small child when Odysseus is washed up on an island in his journey home. Artists (performers) also can be mentors. Odysseus runs into a Shepard (Athena) along the way.
Friends are mentors. The forms taken when meeting different people changes things with just Athena's presence in disguise. "Aristotle said the best kind of friends is two good people alike in virtue, helping each other become better," Wiltshire said.
Peacemakers also are mentors. Near the end of the story, with the arrival of Odysseus, there's a quarrel between him and the a suitor. Athena then appears as a peacemaker between the two to accept peace. "Mentor is someone who cares about the wellbeing of us all," Wiltshire said.
Mentors are those who come free, like gifts in our lives. "All we can do with any good gift is be thankful and be ready to give to others some portion of what we've received along the way," Wiltshire said.
She ended the lecture by informing the audience that whatever we do that may demonstrate our care for the wellbeing of anyone around us is part of being a mentor.
"I really enjoyed the way she communicated the positive quality of a mentor," said Crystal Tabor, a photography major. "It helped me understand, myself, how to grow better as a person."
"She is a great scholar of the classical period and is originally from the Panhandle," Nicklaus said.
Wiltshire said she longed to be a college professor, a field in which all her mentors were male.
In her lecture, she told a story of Athena in The Odyssey. Athena was a goddess who was in disguise in a world of male domination.
In every case, Athena changes the lives of those for whom she becomes a companion.
"A companion is someone who shares bread with us," Wiltshire said. "So these manifestations of mentors in The Odyssey are those with whom we can be close enough to share bread."
The story begins with a man named Odysseus and his journey to get home.
The Attendant Elder Mentor, an old family friend (Athena in disguise) tells Telemachus to take control and accompanies him on a sea journey to find news of his father.
"An attendant elder in our life can provide your intuition," Wiltshire said. "They have confidence in our own ability. They want us to be who we are."
The Family Member Mentor is Penelope's sister (Athena), who was standing by her side in grief of the disappearance of her son, providing reassurance.
Children also can be mentors, Wiltshire said. Athena takes a form of a small child when Odysseus is washed up on an island in his journey home. Artists (performers) also can be mentors. Odysseus runs into a Shepard (Athena) along the way.
Friends are mentors. The forms taken when meeting different people changes things with just Athena's presence in disguise. "Aristotle said the best kind of friends is two good people alike in virtue, helping each other become better," Wiltshire said.
Peacemakers also are mentors. Near the end of the story, with the arrival of Odysseus, there's a quarrel between him and the a suitor. Athena then appears as a peacemaker between the two to accept peace. "Mentor is someone who cares about the wellbeing of us all," Wiltshire said.
Mentors are those who come free, like gifts in our lives. "All we can do with any good gift is be thankful and be ready to give to others some portion of what we've received along the way," Wiltshire said.
She ended the lecture by informing the audience that whatever we do that may demonstrate our care for the wellbeing of anyone around us is part of being a mentor.
"I really enjoyed the way she communicated the positive quality of a mentor," said Crystal Tabor, a photography major. "It helped me understand, myself, how to grow better as a person."