Reese Cory
English III Mrs. Holan 1B Oprah Winfrey Oprah Winfrey is the definition of the American dream. Oprah has worked very hard her whole life to be in the position she is in right now. Oprah has gone through many struggles in life.Oprah winfrey went from nothing to being one of the most successful women in the world. Oprah Winfrey had a rough life growing up and had many troubles. “The poor, urban lifestyle had its negative effect on Winfrey as a young teenager, and her problems were compounded by repeated sexual abuse, starting at age nine, by men that others in her family trusted. Her mother worked odd jobs and did not have much time for supervision” (Feder n.d). At six years old Winfrey was sent north to join her mother and two half-brothers in a Milwaukee ghetto, an extremely poor and dangerous neighborhood (Feder n.d). When Oprah moved to the ghetto it had a very negative impact on her life and led her down the wrong path. After 6 years of living in the ghetto her mother made her move back to her father’s’ house in Nashville. In her late teens Oprah worked for many news networks including CBS television and ABC. At age 19, Winfrey became a news anchor for the local CBS television station. Following her graduation from Tennessee State University in 1976, she was made a reporter and co-anchor for the ABC news. Oprah disliked the job because she wasn’t able to express herself and was constrained to others opinions. Oprah liked to express her opinions and she soon found out that this job wasn’t for her. In 1984 she moved to Chicago to host the faltering talk show AM Chicago. Winfrey’s honest and engaging personality quickly turned the program into a success, and in 1985 it was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show (Feder n.d). The show became popular because Oprah would talk about controversial topics and it grabbed the attention of a broader audience. Before Oprah came along, the show was more for women but when Oprah came on she changed the topics to more controversial topics that grabbed the attention of more viewers. After the success of the Oprah Show, she then had a large effect on the publishing industry by creating a On-air book club and by creating two magazines in the early 2000s. Winfrey broke new ground in 1996 by starting an on-air book club. She announced selections two to four weeks in advance and then discussed the book on her show with a select group of people (Feder n.d). Every book that got aired on the show quickly rose to the top sellers list and brought in large profits for the authors and publishers. This book club not only brought in many viewers to the show but also brought attention towards books and brought those books in many sales and a lot of popularity. Oprah Winfrey created the “Oprah’s Angel network” which sponsored charitable events. This foundation was created and is run by Oprah Winfrey. Every bit of money that gets donated to the foundation get sent straight to charities. One of the projects she supports is the “Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. In South Africa she opened a school for disadvantaged children. She is very outspoken against child abuse and has raised million of dollars for many different charities. For her actions she was given a Presidential Medal of Freedom. This has made Oprah an unforgettable person for generation to come, her contributions to charities and her success has made her an icon for women and men alike. Oprah Winfrey is one of the most successful women to ever live. She was the richest African American in the 20th century(Hello magazine, 2013). Oprah Winfrey was woman to ever be a billionaire. Her success was due to how successful her TV show was which also allowed her to branch out and create various magazines and businesses. Her net worth is roughly 1.8 billion dollars(Hello magazine, 2013, which is one of the the highest net worths ever. Oprah can attribute her bank account to how hard she worked and how she went from nothing to one of the richest people to ever live. Oprah Winfrey very closely represents the American dream because she went from nothing to something. She grew up very poor living in the ghetto to being one of the most successful women to ever live. She has worked very hard to be where she is today. She was able to single handedly bring a TV network from the grave to being one of the most successful TV shows ever. If you want to get something you’ve never had, you have to do something you’ve never done. Works Cited Oprah Winfrey -- Britannica School. http://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/Oprah-Winfrey/2504. Accessed 12 Apr. 2017. Mont, Joe. “10 People Living the American Dream.” TheStreet, https://www.thestreet.com/story/11173382/3/10-people-living-the-american-dream.html. Accessed 12 Apr. 2017. Winfrey, Oprah | Article | World Book Student. http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar606350&st=oprah+winfrey#tab=homepage. Accessed 12 Apr. 2017. |