Mykailah Joseph
Tatham, Pat
Period 1
27 March, 2017
Oprah Winfrey “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
Quite a few people are deprived from education and some people's education are restricted from them. Even though individuals see that, most people are not willing to stand up for education. However, there are a few people in this world who make an effort to help those who are deprived of education. For example, Malala became an advocate for girl’s education and the Taliban shot her for that. Nelson Mandela stood up for fair education for everyone and was sent to prison because the South African government believed he was trying to overrule them. All of these people have done good but, no one has
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Since her grandmother was strict, she was forced to learn to read at the age of 2 years old. Oprah skipped kindergarten when she wrote her teacher a letter explaining why she should be in the first grade.Since her teacher saw how smart she was, she was promoted to the third grade. Then at the age of 6 she had to live with her mother and two half-brothers in a Milwaukee ghetto. The neighborhood was extremely dangerous and poor, but because of those poor conditions she went to live her father at the age of 12. Oprah was feeling happy and feeling secure until she was had to move back with her mother throughout her teenage years. Living with her mother had a negative effect on her. Her mother was always working so there was not much supervision in her household and because of this she was sexually abused by men in her family that other viewed as “trustworthy.” After that she became rebellious and her mother sent her back to Nashville with her father. Winfrey said her father saved her life because he was strict and provided her with guidance, structure, rules and book. Winfrey’s father would not allow how her to eat dinner until she had learned 5 new vocabulary words. Once she went back to school she became an excellent student. Oprah participated in the drama club, debate club, and student council. She loved talking and decided she would pursue a career in speaking. In a Elk club speaking contest,she won a full scholarship to Tennessee State University.Then the following year she was invited to go to a conference on youth in the White House. Afterwards she was crowned for Miss Fire Prevention by WVOL, a local Nashville radio station, and was hired by the station to read afternoon newscast. From that point on her career skyrocketed and she became the first african-american female
Around this time, Lee had given birth to another daughter ( Winfrey's half sister) she died at age 43 because of a cocaine addiction. After that tragic incident Oprah was sent to live with her dad in Nashville, Tennessee. While Oprah was living in Nashville, her mom gave birth to a 3rd child, also she gave birth to a boy named Jeffrey who later died of AIDS related causes in 1989. At 9 years old Oprah stated that she was molested by her cousin, uncle and a family friend. Oprah didn't want be a mother because she wasn't mothered well. At age 13, after suffering years of abuse, Winfrey ran away from home. When she was 14, she became pregnant but her son was born prematurely and he died shortly after birth. She began going to Lincoln High School, and soon got transferred to the affluent suburban Nicolet High School, where her poverty was rubbed in her face on the bus. Oprah began to steal money from her mom, her frustrated mother once again sent her to live with Vernam in Nashville, Tennessee, Vernam was strict, but encouraging and made her education a priority. She then became an honor student, she was
Oprah Winfrey achieved great success in her various endeavors, growing from a news reporter in Nashville to the world-famous talk show host she is today. During the 1980s, talk shows were a crucial part of daytime television. Shows were organized based upon their content and varied greatly in subject. The popularity of talk shows led many people to enter this field, leading to a constant struggle for airtime. Oprah’s rise to fame began when she moved from her hometown in Nashville, to college in Baltimore and ultimately to Chicago, where she lives today. She appeared on an early morning television program called A.M. Chicago, which was later retitled The Oprah Winfrey Show which aired its first episode on September 8, 1986. Talk shows like Oprah’s were wildly popular, especially to women, because they focused on entertaining their viewers rather than discussing political problems. The thirty-minute to hour-long programs allowed for people to escape their problems, even if only for a short period of time (Rose). Biographer, Ilene Cooper took on the challenge of writing a biography about the complex and extraordinary life of Oprah Winfrey. In an article on the Kirkus Review website, published in 2010, a critic enjoys how the author of the biography, Up close: Oprah Winfrey, “makes excellent use of many quotes from interviews, Oprah’s own writing and, of course, her television show” (“Oprah Winfrey”). This reviewer appreciates how the biographer uses all of her resources to understand more information about Oprah. Some of Oprah’s greatest contributions to society are her generous donations to several organizations, and the way she encourages individuals to take actions that can not on...
Winfrey was born in rural Mississippi where her grandmother was so poor that she would sometimes dress Oprah in clothes made from potato sack and for that, she would get teased by her classmates. Grandma Lee was also rather strict as she would beat Oprah with a stick if she misbehaved or didn't sing the church hymns and choirs correctly. But despite being poverty stricken and strict, her grandmother was very encouraging and taught Oprah how to read the bible before the age of three.
Although she was with her mother, she had very little mother and daughter time. She, unfortunately, was neglected and at the age of nine, she began to be sexually abused by many men. After this occurred, Winfrey began to act out. She faked a robbery, stole from her mother, and much more, causing her to go live in Nashville with her father and stepmother. This change saved her life. She lived under the household of her father who had very high expectations of her. She started to excel in high school and won a contest that granted a full scholarship to Tennessee State University after her graduation. She worked at...
Oprah Winfrey is an African-American woman who suffered and persevered through many challenges in her life. She was born on January 29, 1954, in Kosciusko, Mississippi to a single mother (World Biography). However, as soon as Oprah was born, she moved in with her grandmother and lived with her until she was 6 years old. At 6 years old, she went to live with her mother in a rundown section of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which was an extremely poor and dangerous area to live in, and Oprah was new to the area. “I
Oprah Gail Winfrey was born on January 29, 1954 in Kosciusko, Mississippi living with a poor Baptist family (Wikipedia). Her parents, Vernon Winfrey and Vernita Lee were unmarried and still teenagers during the time she was born (Wikipedia). She lived with her grandmother where she would learn how to read aloud and recite sermons by the young age of 3 (America's Beloved Best Friend). At the age of 13 she would move to Milwaukee with her mother and that's when the trouble would start (America's Beloved Best Friend). She would face sexual abuse and molestation from her family relatives as a teenager, by her cousin, family friends, and her uncle (Victoria Walker). Oprah would keep this a secret and would bottle up her anger, which lead to trouble (Victoria Walker). She would repeatedly run away from home and was sent to juvenile detention, but her admission would be denied because the detention's overcrowded area (America's Beloved Best Friend). At the age of 14 she was impregnated by one of her abusers, but the baby would become stillborn, and this would devastate Oprah (Victoria Walker). Her mother would send her to live with her father as a last resort. She vowed to change her life (Victoria Walker).
By being an activist for children's rights, running a talk show, and being an important figure in the eyes of many Americans, Oprah Winfrey has impacted Americans across the world by bringing attention to those in need. Many children in Africa are not getting the chance to get an education, a majority of those children are girls. “In sub-Saharan Africa, over 12 million girls are at risk of never receiving an education. In Yemen, it is more than 80% of girls who will never have the opportunity to go to school” (Humanium). However with the influence and voice of one person, Oprah Winfrey, the access to schools is becoming more available to those in Africa.
At the age of six her mother, Vernita Lee, decided that she could care for her daughter and Oprah was sent to live with her mother in Milwaukee. From the age of six to thirteen, Oprah stayed with her mother. During this time a cousin raped her when she was nine years old and later she was molested by a male friend of her mother’s and by an uncle. She never told anyone about the abuse that she was suffering. Instead, she held her angry and pain inside and she rebelled. She repeatedly ran away and got into trouble.
Oprah Winfrey grew up in abuse and poverty, but that did not stop her in being the women she is today. Oprah is one of the richest women on Earth, but not without her struggles. On top of that, Oprah is a capitalist pragmatist (Lofton, 2006). Oprah believes in a spiritual path, but one that does not concern religion (Lofton, 2006). Her religion is more about perfecting herself and trying to be the perfect human being (Lofton, 2006). Her family and past, her career, the nature of how she sees God, and the influence she has on people all influence Oprah and her worldview.
Oprah Winfrey lived a very rough early life until Vernon Winfrey took her into good hands. She lived in Kosciusko, Missippi for the first 6 years of her life, and then she moved to Milwaukee to live with her mother who was a housemaid. When Oprah lived with her mother she was sexually molested during the daytime when her mother would work the long days. This abuse went on everyday possible for 4 years until she was out on her own at age 14. Oprah had given birth to a baby, which had unexpectedly died during infancy. After the baby had died she moved in with her Father who lived in Tennessee. “Vernon Winfrey was a strict parent, but he gave his daughter the secure home that Oprah needed. He saw to it that she met a curfew, and he required her to read a book and write a book report as well. “As strict s he was,” says Oprah, “ he had some concerns about me making the best of my ...
Oprah Winfrey was born on January 29, 1954. (“Oprah Winfrey Biography”). Oprah had a rough childhood (“Oprah Winfrey Biography”). She constantly moved from her mother’s house to her father’s house (“Oprah Winfrey Biography”). When Oprah lived with her mother she was raped (Lies, 2011). When Oprah lived with her father, she excelled (“Oprah Winfrey Biography”). Oprah’s rough childhood and thriving high school and college years definitely influenced her contributions to the world later showing ethical leadership (“Oprah Winfrey Biography”).
This essay I have decided to write about Oprah Winfrey. This is because Oprah had many serious life events. These life events must have implemented her key development stages or the other.
Oprah was born on a farm in 1954 to a poor family. Winfrey enjoyed reciting African American poetry, and became known as the "little speaker" in her town. When she was 12, Winfrey won $500 for a speech she gave at her father 's church. From then on she wanted to "be paid to talk." When Winfrey was a teenager, her dream was put on hold. Some of the trusted men of her family began to sexually abuse her. She lashed out in anger at the world by lying to her mother, running away from home, and stealing. Unaware of what Winfrey was going through, her mother sent her away to live with her father. If her mother never sent her away, Oprah 's life would have been much different. At age 17, Oprah Winfrey won the Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant and was offered an on-air job at WVOL, a radio station for the African American community in Nashville. Oprah continued to work at WVOL in her first years of college, but her broadcasting career was already taking off. She left school and signed on with a local television station as a reporter and anchor. In 1976, she moved to Baltimore to join WJZ-TV News as a co-anchor. There, she co-hosted her first talk show, People Are Talking, while continuing to serve as anchor and news reporter. In January 1984, she was invited to Chicago to host a half-hour morning program on WLS-TV. In less than a year, she turned AM Chicago into the hottest show in
Oprah Winfrey is a role model to thousands of people out there. She has made people understand the purpose of life and how to live it in a way that you are happy. She wants people to help and care for unprivileged people. Oprah thinks that education is a right and not a privilege. She wants everybody to have a good education no matter who they are. Oprah has an amazing story. She went through so many failures in her life but yet still carried on. She had such a tough childhood that actually mad her stronger as a person, that shows us today that just because you had rough parts in life where you didn’t want to carry on you can still get through it and get to where you want to be. Failure determs the level of success you are on and that’s what
For most people growing up is filled with memories of joy and happiness. A childhood should be filled with affection and care, but Oprah did not always feel those things. Oprah did not have such a great upbringing, but despite the odds she rose up and became who she had wanted to be. Oprah had dealt with many accounts of sexual abuse, the lack of attention from her mother, and moving from place-to-place for most of her early years (Fry, web). Not only was Oprah faced sexual abuse, but she also became pregnant from one of the instances (Fry, web). This made things even more difficult for the young Oprah.