Oprah Winfrey: One of the Most Influential People in the World Imagine being the first ever African American billionaire! But, did you know that she was abused when she was young by her family? Or, did you know that she hosted an international book club? This essay will highlight all of these topics, and will present information on the life and achievements of Oprah Winfrey.
Oprah Winfrey has lived a very successful life altogether, but it wasn’t always smooth sailing for her. When she was four years old, she was living on a farm, poor, washing her clothes in a boiling pot of water (Krohn). When Oprah was born, her mother’s sister decided to name her after “Orpah”, a character in the bible, but it was misspelled on her birth certificate as
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The Oprah Winfrey Show was aired on over 100 channels across the country (Oprah). Her production company, HARPO (Oprah spelled backwards), was bringing in over $125 million a year (Oprah). Oprah ran a public book club called, Oprah’s Book Club. Whenever Oprah chose a book, that book skyrocketed to the top of the book charts (Mulkerrins). Oprah struggled with her weight and then, “...lost an estimated 90 pounds and competed in the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. in 1995,” (Biography). “She appeared in TIME Magazine’s Most Influential People list every year from 2004-2007,” (Oprah). In 2011, she ended her program with ABC when her contract ended (Biography). She then moved to her own network, The Oprah Winfrey Network (Biography). Oprah invited Lance Armstrong to do an interview on her show, and Lance admitted that he cheated in the Tour de France (Biography). This eventually turned into something called, “Oprahfication”, which was a new form of therapy that helped many people (Mulkerrins). In March 2015, Oprah announced that Harpo Studios would close at the end of the year (Biography). Currently, Oprah is starring in TV shows and movies, and participating in charities. She has a home in Montecito, California, worth an estimated $88 million, a mountain cabin in Colorado, a house in Hawaii, a farm in Indiana, and a penthouse in Chicago
One of Phil Robertsons main significance is the way he lives his life. It sets a great example for young kids growing up who want to become rich. Phil is extremely humble and even though he is worth millions of dollars you could never tell. You will never here him in the media bragging about his cars, houses, or money. He wears the same camo pants and shirt everyday He also has lived in the same double wide trailer for the past 30 years. In Robertson's’ biography he states, “If you know who you are before you get into something like this, you’ll recognize yourself on the other end of it. But if you don’t, well–our greatest fear is me and Willie start acting like Charlie Sheen!” He is setting an example to his family by telling them when the fame comes you will remain humble if you know who you are and what you were raised to
In Lofton’s book, she addresses that there is more to Oprah than meets the eye. Her thesis statement, “What is Oprah? Oprah is an instance of American astonishment at what can be” (Lofton 1), shows the reader that the author clearly sees Oprah as a significant figure in America and will proceed to show us how so throughout the book. Through several examples, Lofton conveys her point by pointing out the influence Oprah has had on others to help them live life to their full potentials religiously, economically, physically, emotionally and socially.
“The best of humanity's recorded history is a creative balance between horrors endured and victories achieved, and so it was during the Harlem Renaissance.” A quote stated by Aberjhani in his novel Journey through the Power of the Rainbow: Quotations from a Life Made out of Poetry channels the significance and impact of the Harlem Renaissance as a movement that gave African Americans their first opportunity to express themselves. With the continuous, yet advanced expansion of African American impact on society in this new era, indeed we are in the midst of a new Black American Renaissance. As a renowned business woman, talk show host, actress, producer and more, Oprah Winfrey has influenced this new renaissance with her contributions of literature, performing arts, media entrepreneurship, taboo topics, and discussions on race relations as well as philanthropy.
Oprah Winfrey’s past helped shape her into the influential person she is presently. According to achievement.org, the official website of a museum of living history in Washington D.C., Winfrey was born on January 29, 1954 in Kosciusko, Mississippi to mother, Vernita Lee and father Vernon Winfrey. Vernita was just a teenager when Oprah Winfrey was born. Winfrey was sexually abused by several of her mother’s friends and relatives while her mother was away working. The abuse lasted from ages nine to thirteen. When Winfrey tried to run away, she was sent to a juvenile detention home, but was denied admittance because all
Oprah Winfrey has had an outstanding career and has emerged as the most significant female African American of her generation and those following her. From her early childhood Oprah has faced many obstacles and family distortions such as
How can one person, whom most people have never met, influence the lives of people in the world today in such positive ways? Oprah Winfrey has been able to persuade and inspire many people around the world today because she has simply believed in herself and the good of the people. Oprah once said, “Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life because you become what you believe” (Lowe 170). The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Angel Network, and Oprah’s Book Club have been some of the most indoctrinating pieces of work by Oprah. Moreover, these creations have been the ultimate techniques Oprah has used to reach out to the people of the world. Oprah Winfrey, one of the most influential, dynamic, and powerful women of today’s
Oprah Winfrey, the first African-American television correspondent in Nashville, Tennessee, was born into poverty and struggle and lived a childhood of abuse and neglect. Everyday, Winfrey had obstacles to conquer, similar to how everyday “from the time the Joshua tree was a tiny sapling, it had been so beaten down by the whipping wind that, rather than trying to grow skyward, it had grown in the direction that the wind pushed it” (21) because of it’s rooting. Winfrey's capacity to remain humble all through each and every crack and crevice of her life show how much of a hard-worker and how determined she is to grow and prosper, which earned her the title of being one of the richest women in the world with a net worth of three billion dollars. This compares to the Joshua tree’s toils of how it stayed alive and prospered for many years which, in the end, symbolizes perseverance and diligence to accomplish peace and balance in one’s
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
Both of these inspirational women came from different backgrounds in their lives before fame. After her birth, Oprah’s parents separated, leading to her living with her grandmother, mother, and father for different periods of time throughout her childhood (Encyclopedia). While living with her mother, she suffered continued sexual abuse by trusted members of her family and eventually went back to living with her father, who provided her with guidance, valued education, and was very strict (Encyclopedia). Similarly, Ellen’s parents divorced when she was a teenager; she had a strong relationship with her mother, but was molested by her stepfather before she graduated from high school (Wang). Due to her father’s guidance and encouragement, Oprah won a scholarship to Tennessee State University and became a co-anchor of the evening news (Encyclopedia). Ellen dropped out of college at the University of New Orleans after only a semester to pursue comedy; she expressed large comical talent and acted on television sitcoms (Wang). Oprah hosted her morning show, “A.M. Chicago” in Baltimore, and surpassed Phil Donahue in ratings (Oprah Winfrey Biography). Her success escalated when she launched the Oprah Winfrey Show in 1986 as a nationally syndicated program. DeGeneres came out as gay as both herself
Oprah Gail Winfrey was born on January 29, 1954 in Kosciusko, Mississippi to the unwed Vernita Lee and Vernon Winfrey at a time when illegitimate children were highly frowned upon. Soon after Oprah’s birth, her parents separated; her father, who was in the military, moved to Nashville and remarried; while her mother moved north in search of employment and a fresh start, leaving Oprah to be raised by her grandparents. From an early age Oprah exhibited elevated intelligence, her grandmother, Hattie Mae Lee, encouraged her curious mind teaching her how to read at an early age and pruning her developing speaking skill which she put to practice in church by reciting bible verses and sermons. When she started school, she was allowed to skip ahead to first grade and then third grade because she already knew how to read and write. Then at the age of six, her grandmother became ill and Oprah was sent to live with her mother
Forty million people worldwide are infected with the HIV virus. About six percent of them will not inform their intimate partners about their health condition. Many efforts that have been made over the past decade towards establishing a HIV/AIDS law, have finally paid off. The act of disclosing the virus was written in 1990. It caused quite a stir among the citizens of the United States. Many people concluded that there were holes in the disclosure law concerning HIV/AIDS because it lacked complete thought. Some felt that if HIV positive people had to tell others about their condition, they would be more susceptible to discrimination and rejection. Essentially, it was a law that ended a few problems and then led to a massive
When you hear influential, you think of something or someone who has impacted society. Whether they were positive or negative, it is the contribution that makes them influential. These people shape our history. In modern culture, it is celebrities and entertainers that have the most influence. I believe that when someone is given a platform they should use it to make a difference in the world. I also think Nicki Minaj should be replaced with Beyonce on The 100 Most Influential People of 2016 because she possess authenticity, generosity, charisma and passion.
In today’s day and age one of the most influential women and people is Oprah Winfrey. Oprah has had a big impact on today’s society and played a huge role in advancing it. Oprah Winfrey is a talk show host, producer, actress and philanthropist who are widely respected around the world. By becoming one of the biggest names in talk show history Oprah has paved the way for others and became one of the more popular women in talk show history. Her willingness to help others and to be sure others are guided in positive light shows how much passion she has to see the greater good in others. Oprah’s biggest role comes from helping to pursue the advancement of young women and girls. Oprah has taken the time to see to it that young women are out of poverty and opening up a brand new school for underprivileged females to see to it that they have the same opportunity that children in America and other parts of the world have. Being that African- Americans, let alone women were not seen as marketable, Oprah helped to change this dynamic early in her career by using her platform in communication to open doors for other people. Winfrey’s work over a number of years is the single most evident reason why she has been able to be successful in the field of mass communication. Oprah is one of the most influential women of our time because of how well she is able to contribute to the human rights of women and advancing them in today’s society.
“Oprah Winfrey arguably has more influence on the culture than any university president, politician, political or religious leader, except perhaps the pope.”
When asked who was the most influential person in my life without any hesitation I knew it was my father. My father has impacted my life greatly and has helped me become the person I am today. He has helped me in many ways; he pushes me to be the best, he is always there for me, and he possesses good qualities that I try to obtain.