Oprah Winfrey was nominated and awarded the Cecil B. DeMille award for lifetime achievement at the Gloden Globes. Upon acceptance she delivered a standing novation speech that captivated her audience. (Ch 1, Pg. 11) Winfrey seemed natural and conversational as she verbally painted a picture of how she sat at home on the linoleum floor and watched the first Cecil B. DeMille award being given to a black man. Now thirty-six years later she offered to share her story of how that positively affected her as a child. Winfrey did not make light of the opportunity; the speech was well papered and did not seem over rehearsed. Winfrey used the award acceptance to bring attention to the unjust treatment of women.
Oprah Winfrey's acceptance speech opened
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Winfrey is now the first black woman to have the same award bestowed upon her, and the empowering speech she presented showed the raw character of why she was nominated for the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement in the first place. Winfrey connected with audiences from many walks of life with her moving words. Winfrey delivered a powerful speech involving controversial subject matter which covered the topic of the Me-Too movement. She mentioned the media in a positive light for brining so much media attention to the topic of sexual harassment in the film industry. Winfrey spoke about the racial injustice and abuse against women; she also spoke about the empowerment of women and the strength people have with their stories. "And I'm especially proud and inspired by all the women who have felt strong enough and empowered enough to speak up and share their personal stories. Each of us in this room are celebrated because of the stories that we tell, and this year we became the story."(Oprah Winfrey) She spoke about Recy Taylor an African American wife and mother who was viciously raped on her way home from church by five-armed white man and how Ms. Taylor refused to listen to death
Oprah Winfrey is an outstanding & determined bright woman. Winfrey is a very advocate person. She has encouraged and inspired many people, but when she was growing up it was rough for her, but after her courageous and outstanding work, she is now a billionaire and helps a lot of charities.
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 to poverty, where she literally wore potato sacks as clothing. From this home life. she was abused both sexually, and mentally. Winfrey wasn't a wealthy person from the start or even when she decided to start her own TV talk show. Free enterprise may allow for those who have become wealthy to gain even more success, but it is more beneficial for those just starting out. This system allows anyone regardless of race, gender, or age to pursue what they want. Oprah Winfrey was not only a woman but an African American in an otherwise racist world when she began to strive for her future. Without the non-discriminatory system, Winfrey would have not been able to make the impact in the world that she has and still continues to do
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...
Sojourner Truth gave a very meaningful speech known as “Ain’t I a Woman?”, at the 1851 Women’s Convention in Akron, Ohio. Women didn’t have many rights during the mid 19th-centuries, nor did African-Americans. However, Truth acknowledges all of the abuse she has received unfair treatments by giving a heart-melting speech. In her lecture, she uses plenty of loading language to explain her struggles in depth, strong anecdotes of her unpleasant life to make the audience understand her pain and coherent imagery to show how women deserve better. Even though she is a mother and a hardworking human being, she will be nowhere near happiness, all because she is an African-American woman.
Winfrey begins her eulogy by adopting representative phrases to interpret Rosa Parks as an idol. She states that “Rosa Parks was a hero,” and “a great woman” who “reclaimed humanity” and “made life better.” She utilizes these symbolic words in order to characterize Rosa as a superstar who “changed the trajectory of [her] life.” Such descriptions edify Winfrey’s audience because
Winfrey’s early life was filled with arduous hurdles from the beginning, she was raised in a small podunk town in Mississippi that was anything but safe for a young girl, but on top of that she was raised by a single mother who was not around nearly enough. However the most formidable part of her upbringing was, she was sexually abused by ‘family friends’ and relatives on multiple occasions starting from the age of just nine. At twelve she was sent away to middle Tennessee to live with her father, there she realised her passion, she began giving speeches in front of her church and ultimately came to the conclusion that she wanted to speak for a living. Without her parents divorce Winfrey might have never figured out her passion of speaking to people until it was too late, this was a hidden advantage in the making of her success. However all too soon she had to leave the comfort of her father’s home where she could pursue her interest and journey back to her mother, where she was sadly yet again
Winfrey, Oprah, and Bill Adler. The Uncommon Wisdom of Oprah Winfrey: A Portrait in her Own Words. New York: Carol Pub. Group, 1997. Print.
Oprah Winfrey is not only the richest woman in the world, but she is also is known to be one of the most influential black women to ever live in the United States. She is a person “who has become successful and spread it around to those who need it the most” (Oprah 76). She has opened many different foundations to help others, For example, the Oprah Winfrey foundation. As if that already wasn’t enough she made a networking site called Oprah angel, what it does is help raise money for charitable causes around the world. In 2000 Oprah Decided to not only help others with Physical and financial problems, she wanted to go one step further. She published her own magazine called “O” that would give woman advice with how she deals with the same situations that woman do in their everyday lives. One of Oprahs greatest works is a leadership Academy that she established. It is a school in Africa that will prepare students for what awaits them on the other side of those doors. “It is a place where young girls will have the opportunity improve the quality of life for their sisters, and for generations to come” (Owla 12-13).
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 ...
To whom? The radio show the speech was given on attracted up to 3,000,000 listeners each week. When giving her speech she was giving it to over a million Americans of all races. Her speech was to those who agreed and disagreed with African American progress and equality. For those who disagreed she spoke to them to possible change their hearts. To those who agreed, she spoke to them giving them inspiration.
During her childhood years living with her mother, Oprah had very little money and life was difficult. She wants to help as many children as possible grow up in a sound, safe, and educational environment. Oprah has changed the world with all of her organizations and charity efforts. Oprah Winfrey has helped thousands of children attend school with her scholarships that she has funded. Many of these children would never go to school or continue their college career without her amazing efforts of providing financial support to these children. Oprah also helped build homes for families through her efforts with Habitat for Humanity and her donations after Hurricane Katrina helped families start their lives over again after the mass destruction of the hurricane by providing the financial support to rebuild many communities and neighborhoods(“Oprah Winfrey”). When researching Oprah Winfrey, I now realize why she is such an incredible person. The world is a better place because of Oprah Winfrey. This is another example of a person that has worked very hard to achieve her goals in life. Oprah strived for her dreams of being able to give back to the community and world. Oprah came from nothing, built an empire and became one of the most influential people in the world. While building an empire, Oprah has influenced millions of people achieve a better way of live. Oprah has positively
Overcoming unbearable, yet sometimes even fatal obstacles experienced from generation to generation to becoming some of the most profound leaders in the country we reside in today, tremendously increases my personal perspective on how honored I to be living life as a black woman. While being a student in ADW this semester, I have been exposed to several critical analysis and historical texts written by authors such as Michael Gomez, Paulo Freire, and Ruth Hubbard that informed me about various important aspects that occurred in constructing our African Diaspora. Reading these analysis, I was informed about several positive roles performed by African women and other women of color whether it relates to politics, religion, health, and etc. The
Oprah Winfrey is an African American woman who is known as a U.S. media celebrity. She has done so much to contribute to society as we know it and her legacy will forever live on. Mrs. Winfrey is well known and she uses her platform for positivity and love, which is a huge reason for her success. She is an intelligent leader who worked hard for the spot she has in life and strives to encourage others to be successful also. Mrs. Winfrey has written books, acted and produced films, hosted an infamous television show, and given to charities. Her hard work and dedication has made her one of the most influential women of all time. She strived for greatness and accomplished what she wanted out of life, despite various obstacles that had been in the
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.