An Essay About Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey once said “with every experience, you alone are painting your own canvas, thought by thought, choice by choice”. Oprah had a difficult childhood life, however, she was able to learn from her experiences and allow them to, for the better, shape her as a person. She built a successful life for herself and used this to impact the lives of many people with charitable organizations, influencing legislation, encouraging discussions, and so much more. Oprah is an important and influential figure in history that had a positive impact on the world because she uses her success and power to improve the lives of other people and encourages people to speak up about hardships. Oprah was born on January 29th, 1954, in Kosciusko, Mississippi.
It encourages people to tell their stories in a safe space and has made it more acceptable for people to be different. “With her grand personality, her multi-platform business plan and her relentless messages of positivity and self-improvement, she managed to infiltrate American life from all angles.” (Sohn 1) Her network has changed the way that stories are shared in a journalism fashion, but also encourages people to stand up and talk throughout the nation. Oprah’s willingness to share her experiences with poverty and childhood sexual abuse has made others feel safer talking about these sensitive, more taboo matters. “Perhaps most of all, Oprah has taught people how to accept others who are not like them. Viewers barely blink an eye at popular shows like "Modern Family" and "Glee," which feature gay couples and kids in wheelchairs, said McNamara.” (Sohn 2) Not only do people feel more comfortable talking about their experiences and stories, they feel more accepted being different.. Towards the beginning of her networks success, Oprah faced pressure to sensationalize her network. “Deliberately, she made a decision to separate herself from what she called the "trash pack." Instead, she focused on positive, therapeutic and inspiring themes, aiming to help people to find their best selves.” (Sohn 1) Oprah believes it is more important to focus more on discovery of truth and positive themes than to cave into entertainment demands. The Oprah Winfrey Network has encouraged people to share and be more comfortable with their