The Word Mentor In Homer's The Odyssey

In a previous posting, the meaning of the word mentor was explained briefly to set the origin and tone of my essay. To expand on the same topic, the word mentor comes from the book “The Odyssey” by the Greek poet Homer. When Odysseus, King of Ithaca, sailed off with his army to fight in the Trojan War he entrusted his friend Mentor to care for and educate his son, Telemachus (University of Maryland). The word “mentor” eventually came to mean a trusted advisor, counselor, and friend. There is an intimate relational connotation to the word mentor that places a level of commitment and responsibility to the entrusted person that will serve as an advisor. The question at hand is whether mentors should be part of Rosalind Franklin’s University faculty body? And my answer is, yes. However, careful selection of faculty members that will be tasked to guide the future scholars of the program must possess certain humanistic qualities. Jacobi (1991) states that for effective mentoring to occur the focus of the relationship should be founded on (1) the achievement or acquisition of knowledge; (2) it consists of support, direct assistance, and role modeling; (3) …show more content…
(2001). Mentoring in the preparation of graduate researchers of color. Review of Educational Research, 71 (4), 549-574.
Girves, J.E., Zepeda, Y. & Gwathmey, J.K. (2005). Mentoring in a post-affirmative action world. Journal of Social Issues, 61(3), 449-479.
Homer. The Odyssey, translated by S.H. Butcher and A. Lang. Vol. XXII. The Harvard Classics. New York: P.F. Collier & Son, 1909–14; Bartleby.com, 2001. www.bartleby.com/22/. [September 28, 2016].
Jacobi, M. (1991). Mentoring and undergraduate academic success: A literature review. Review of Educational Research, 61,505-532.
University of Maryland, School of Public Health. Mentoring Advice for Doctoral Students What is Mentoring? (n.d.). Retrieved from