The Life of Oprah Gail Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey was born January 29, 1954 on the family farm in Kosciusko, Mississippi. Her dad, Vermon Winfrey, who was stationed as a solider at a local base; and her mother, Vernita Lee, were both young at the time of Oprah's birth. Her parents never married. Shortly after she was born her mother found a job, as a maid, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Oprah was left in the care of her grandmother, Hattie Mae Lee. As a child Oprah never wasted a minute of her young imaginative mind on something that seemed to be boring. Through her early years her only friends were the farm animals. She gave them parts in the plays she made and included them in games. On Sundays Oprah would dress up in her best clothes and go to the Buffalo United Methodist Church, with her grandmother. The church was a very important part of her life, as she grew up. It was at this church that Oprah first spoke in public. Her first performance was at Easter time when she was three. From that day on, she was always the first child to be asked to recite. She recited verses and poems at churches in the Nashville area. Oprah recalls that the other women in the church would say, "Hattie Mae, that child is gifted." At age four the whole town knew that she was gifted. She became known as "the little speaker." Oprah enjoyed bringing her performances to life. Once she was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, and she answered without hesitation, "I want to be paid to talk." At home Oprah was forbidden to talk around adults. Oprah found it hard to understand this, because everyone wanted to hear her talk. She was so talkative and li... ... middle of paper ... ..., but today she loves him for it. She says he was a big influence in her life. He always wanted Oprah to make the best of her life, and he wouldn't accept anything less than her best. Oprah knows that as long as she is making a difference in people's lives she will continue with her show. She started out as a determined little girl who made her dreams come true. Oprah has become a financially successful woman. She has touched many people's lives; she's laughed and cried with them. Today she mentors millions of people worldwide. Her dreams came true because she took a risk, by leaving school and taking a job as a news reporter in Chicago. Bibliography http://www.oprah.com/about/press/about_press_bio.jhtml http://inin.essortment.com/oprahwinfreybi_rmjm.htm http://www.fembio.org/women/oprah-winfrey.shtml
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...
Oprah is one of the most well known and revered celebrities worldwide. What make Oprah distinct from mainstream celebrities is the entwining of the person and the product of Oprah. In each chapter, of Oprah: The Gospel of an Icon, Lofton compares materials from Oprah's many productions and religious culture. Lofton specifically focuses on the prosperity gospel as practiced by many churches and preached by Oprah, who gives gifts and fills pages of her magazine with products intended for a better life. Lofton also discusses celebrity culture and contemporary evangelism and how the brand Oprah thrives on the inseparable nature of religion and American capitalism
At the age of six, Winfrey moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to live with her mother who was a housemaid and who had given birth to a daughter. In 1962, Oprah was sent to Nashville, Tennessee to live with her biological father Vernon Winfrey as her mother was having some financial issues. Vernon, according to Oprah was a strict parent but made Oprah’s education his priority.
Oprah’s childhood was not the greatest. Her unmarried parents split up, and she grew up on a farm with her grandmother. She developed rapidly and could read before she was three. Also, she was tested out of kindergarten and second grade, thus only taking first grade and skipping to third grade. When she turned six, she started to live with her mother and was very lonely. However, she began her speaking profession around that time. “She was invited to recite poetry at black social clubs and church teas, where she became known as ‘the little speaker.’ At 12, during a visit to her father in Nashville, she earned $500 for a speech she delivered at a church” (“Winfrey, Oprah”). As you can tell, Oprah started young in her profession and was determined to make a living off of this since her prior experiences.
Oprah Gail Winfrey was born on January 29, 1954, in Kosciusko, Mississippi. As a child, Oprah spent her early childhood with her grandmother, Hattie Mae Lee while Oprah’s mom, Venita moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Venita wanted to become more stable and would eventually come for Oprah. While Oprah lived with her grandmother, Oprah flourished she learned how to read and write at the age of 3. By the time she started kindergarten at the age of 5, Oprah was moved to the first grade. Unfortunately, at the age of 6, Oprah’s grandmother Hattie Mae Lee became very ill. Oprah moved to Milwaukee, WI to live with her mom. They were very poor and lived on welfare. Not having enough time to give to her children, Oprah’s mom sent her to live with her dad, Vernon Winfrey, in Nashville, Tennessee.
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
At the age of nineteen Oprah landed her first job as a reporter for a radio station in Nashville. Later she entered Tennessee State University to study radio and television broadcasting. In 1976 Oprah Winfrey moved to Baltimore where she hosted a TV show called People Are Talking. The show was a hit and Winfrey stayed for eight years. In 1986 Oprah started the Oprah Winfrey Show. Oprah has been honored with the most prestigious awards in broadcasting including the George Foster Peabody individual Achievement award in 1996 and the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences lifetime Achievement award in 1998. In June 1998,
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 ...
The definition of a renaissance man or woman is a person who is well educated and sophisticated and who has a talent and knowledge of many different fields of study. Oprah is a show host, actress, philanthropist, and producer. I believe that Oprah Winfrey is our modern day Renaissance woman.
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
Her father was very strict and cared a lot about school and wanted her to get high marks. At high school she was a brilliant student, she loved being in the drama club and the student council. After she graduated in 1971 she received a four year scholarship to Tennessee State University. She began to develop broadcasting career at seventeen while working for WVOL radio in Nashville. While still at university Oprah at nineteen became the youngest and the first African-American female news anchor at WTVF-TV in Nashville, this shows us today that you can conquer anything you put your mind to, I mean she went through such a hard childhood but yet still conquered this. In 1976 Oprah took the job to be a co-host on an early morning talk show called People are Talking. In 1984 Oprah moved to Chicago and got chosen to host a talk show called AM Chicago. The show became really popular during the time of seven months and was then extended to be a one-hour show. In September 1985 after all the show’s success it was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show. It was on TV for twenty five years. Oprah interviewed and engaged with her audience a lot and talked about her childhood on the show. Her show ended in 2011. After her show ended Oprah published the Oprah Magazine and then set up her own cable television network named Oxygen in 1999. Oprah started collecting funds for charities and children that couldn’t afford to go to school and then established the Family for Better Lives
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.
One of the most powerful women in the world is Oprah Gail Winfrey. Oprah is one of the richest businesswomen in the world, but she wasn’t always rich and successful. She had a very tough life growing up and didn’t have much money. She has always been a hard worker, and she had a passion for hosting and acting. Oprah is very good at what she does and that’s how she raised to the top of being one of the most influential women in the media.