Although adults believe that children are somewhat immune to the effects of childhood trauma, they are usually the most vulnerable at such a tender age where they assimilate much more than adults are aware. Nonetheless, to discuss the reverse of what scientific research has proven, the ability of certain individuals to sprout from childhood trauma and become prosperous and eminent, two women are to be scrutinized upon, Oprah Winfrey, an international media mogul, and T. M., an Emirati woman who overcame a devastating childhood trauma to live a relatively normal life, with a career and a family of her own. The former is to be studied through bibliographies, facts and data whereas the latter allows an insight into her thoughts and feelings prior, during and after her childhood. …show more content…
The media mogul was born in the rural town of Kosciusko, Mississippi, on January 29, 1954 to an unwed teenage mother. While Winfrey spent her first years on her grandmother’s Mississippi farm, her mother sought work in the North. In spite of the primitive life on the farm, her grandmother taught her to read. In fact, Winfrey was so proficient at such an early age to the extent that she was reciting poems and Bible verses in local churches at the age of three. The adoring, affectionate grandmother and the church community gave Winfrey as a child the support every child needs to develop normally. At the age of six, however, all this would change dramatically. Her mother had found work as a housemaid and Winfrey was sent off to live with her. Nevertheless, whilst her mother strived, young Oprah was frequently molested by male relatives and alleged family friends. The abuse lasted four years, from the age of nine until
Some people think it is impossible for someone to become productive if they had an abusive or neglected childhood. There are many people that recovered from an abusive childhood. One person that you will read about later on in my essay is, Oprah Winfrey. She used to be sexually abused when in her childhood. Look at her now, she is one of the highest paid women. Not only that, she is an African American woman. People believed women were not capable of being better than a man and/or working harder than a man. Especially African American women, we were the lowest of the lows. Oprah proved many people wrong.
“In 1998 Oprah Winfrey was listed one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century by the editors of Time magazine” (“Winfrey, Oprah”). Oprah Gail Winfrey was born to Vernita Lee and Vernon Winfrey on January 29, 1954. Currently, Oprah is a successful chairwoman and CEO of The Oprah Winfrey Network: OWN since 2011.
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.
Oprah was born on January 29th, 1954 in Kosciusko, Mississippi to her mother Vernita Lee, a single teenager who works as a maid, and her father Vernon Winfrey, a coal miner, barber, and city councilman. Her name was supposed to be pronounced as ‘Orpah’, from the bible, but because of the difficulty as the pronunciation, she was known as Oprah almost from her birth. Oprah’s parents were unmarried and soon separated after she was born, then left her in the care of
In Oprah Winfrey’s early life her name on her birth certificate was actually spelled like “Orpah,” but many people just kept mispronouncing it and so she stuck with it. Winfrey was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, with a teen mother. Her mother, Vernita Lee, was a housemaid and her biological father, Vernon Winfrey, was originally a coal miner, and had many positions throughout his life, at the end, he had been in the Armed Forces when she was born. Later on, Mississippi farmer and World War II veteran, Noah Robinson Sr., has claimed, then, to be her biological father.
Despite being successful women, Oprah and Ellen were not always as well known as they are today. Oprah Winfrey grew up in Milwaukee, Mississippi, whereas Ellen DeGeneres was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. At a young age, Winfrey was sexually abused by various men. She eventually escaped the toxic environment she was exposed to when she went to live with her father. When Ellen was younger, her family moved around quite a bit and she learned to use comedy as a way to fit in with the new peers she encountered. When she was a teenager, her parents got a divorce; she used
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).
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
Oprah Winfrey is an inspiration to many all around the world. She did not have a very good home life up until the age of 14. She was abused as a child and did not see her mother very often because she was a housemaid who was gone almost every day all day. Vernon Winfrey, Oprah’s father, was a big service in her life when it came to keeping her in a nonviolent manner. Oprah also had her career going for her when she became Miss Black Tennessee at age 17. When Oprah became Miss Black Tennessee she was offered a radio broadcasting job and a full scholarship to Tennessee. Oprah had quite a few talk shows yet she made the most money off her own show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and now has her individual network called The Oprah Winfrey Network. Oprah Winfrey’s influential style greatly impacted those who came after her in the entertainment industry.
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”).
Final Exam OVERVIEW The theorists included within this essay will provide insight and theories that will dive into the post-colonialist theme of accumulated critiques of objectivity. Through theoretical critiques of objectivity, there is an underlying representation of a specific interest that is promoted with utilitarian purpose for molding the surrounding sociological environment into the desired construction. As the theorists point out the objectivity that is present within what is being learned, there is a promotion of deconstruction and reconstruction of what we know to be “knowledge” and “truth” in order to restore what they see as the proper means to which information should be introduced to an individual.
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.