Lauryn Klitzman Mrs. Cook English 9X, G 24 April 2024 Pushing the Boundaries Whoopi Goldberg once said, "I am where I am because I believe in all possibilities." She was referring to the possibilities she sought, to make a change in her life after a traumatic childhood. Today, Whoopi advocates for social justice, such as issues regarding race, healthcare, education, equality, and other topics affecting the world today. She is one of only nineteen people in history to win an EGOT (Emmy Award, Grammy Award, Academy Award aka Oscar, and a Tony Award). Through her work, Whoopi Goldberg strives to create a better world for the underprivileged and vulnerable by granting new opportunities and possibilities to those facing struggles. In Ernest Gaines’ …show more content…
Whoopi Goldberg pushes the boundaries of many perspectives to bring awareness to topics regarding human dignity, rights, and basic respect, despite challenges and adversity. Whoopi advocates and draws attention to environmental causes, hunger, AIDS, drug abuse, pneumonia, and more subjects left unseen and behind closed doors, even as she is criticized and labeled “controversial.” Social activism is a part of Whoopi Goldberg, as she uses her fame and influence to help children with little to no healthcare and people struggling as she did as a child. Goldberg stands her ground when others lash at her, saying that she is “barely keeping her head above the water” (“Whoopi Goldberg,” Contemporary Black Biography). In the face of disapproval, Whoopi Goldberg’s resilience is unwavering, highlighting her commitment to social activism despite adversity. Many obstacles like drug addiction, racism, abortions, and limited opportunities have been …show more content…
After all the challenges faced in her youth, Whoopi Goldberg inspires change and raises awareness regarding similar situations. Whoopi sought drug treatment at 17 after losing many friends to overdoses and now uses her experiences as material for discussions as she even puts them in her solo show, The Spook Show (“Whoopi Goldberg,” UNICEF). A rough childhood involving “sex and drugs,” dramatically influenced Whoopi’s life and she now works to prevent other children from falling into the same pattern she did (“Whoopi Goldberg,” Contemporary Black Biography). Traumatic experiences can affect people’s well-being, but a traumatic childhood can change the course of a life. As a woman who has been through so much trauma and hardships in her childhood, Whoopi wowed everyone after not only coming out successful but also advocating so that others wouldn’t have to suffer through the same pain she did. Whoopi Goldberg and Vivian both share a strong desire to make the world a better place. They display this through their kindness, compassion, and understanding of others. Whoopi uses her platform to help others avoid the struggles
Caryn Eliane Johnson better known as Whoopi Goldberg, has many achievements from being an American actress, award winning comedian, television host, human rights advocate, and mother. Whoopi was born on November 13th 1955 in Chelsea, New York City raised by a single mother Emma Johnson with her younger brother Clyde.” Goldberg's father abandoned the family, and her single mother worked at a variety of jobs—including teaching and nursing—to make ends meet.” (Biography.com Editors, Paragraph 3) Ever since Whoopi was a little girl she enjoyed imitating people on TV, and making her family laugh, she liked the idea of being able to play different characters she started performing when she was just eight. Growing up on the streets of New York influenced
Hillary Rodham Clinton is a well-recognized woman in the United States. Her great contribution as Secretary of State impacted people’s lives. One of many remarkable speeches Clinton gave was the “The Women Rights Speech” at the 4th World Conference on Women Plenary Session, where she used strong words and emotions to appeal to the audience. Even though the speech talked about women's rights, she wanted everyone, including men and children, to listen and take action. Her use of ethos, logos and pathos throughout the speech helped people understand women live in a world where they suffer discrimination, and she proposes solutions to solve the issue.
There is no one who does not know that Oprah stands for “ reaching out a hand on behalf of others”(Kirkwood). Through her foundations, she has supported countless programs in Chicago, throughout the United States and around the world, that encourage people to make a difference in the lives of others less fortunate than them. According to Forbes magazine, Oprah's network has raised more than $80 million to help educate women and children to believe in themselves. Not only that, the network also help support people around the globe in pursuing their dreams and provide those who are underprivileged with education to reach their potential. Oprah has also been a huge impact on “the way women think, talk, eat, study, shop, exercise, and lead (“Why We Honor Her”). She has change our everyday culture and vernacular to include respect for the emotional and spiritual. Oprah is a powerhouse of a woman who puts in her talents, efforts, celebrity, and money into shining the spotlight into those throughout the world, hereby providing beyond a doubt that one powerful women can indeed change the world. She has used her power for good and to show the world anything is
“I vividly remember my grandmother steaming clothes from the pot to hang on the line to dry, she called to me, ‘Oprah Gail, you better watch me now, cause one day you got to know how to do this for yourself.’” Still, small voice inside me, really more a feeling than a voice, said, ‘This will not be your life. Your life will be more than hanging clothes on a line’”(Daily Mail). Oprah Winfrey, an African-American female known for empowering women and being the first black female billionaire has overcome so many difficult challenges and abuse. Even though she's been through these challenges, she continues to persevere. This perseverance helped her to grow to become one of the most famous icon for women around the world.
White women like Hillary Clinton, who have advantageously indoctrinated themselves into a mechanism of politics that entails the continued suffering of other women, especially non-white women become martyrs for their own brand of feminism, neglecting to analyze other forms of oppression that may affect women, like imperialism, classism, and race. It is no accident that non-white women, and women who live in regions that are or have been occupied by the U.S. around the world, and those who face mass political or economic repression in the U.S. are rarely given platforms to speak about their issues. The complex and multi-faceted struggles of non-white women go unheard, and for a reason too. To allow women who do not fit the Western liberal or corporate feminist model of womanhood a platform forces those who legitimize unjust wars and perpetuate racism through policies to confront their own prejudices, and the systematic brutality their nations enacts on various global societies, as well as within its borders. It is easy to claim and fabricate reasons as to why the war on drugs and terror are beneficial policies that will eventually help the greater good; it is another to examine what other types of oppressions exists that afflict the lives of otherized areas, especially the women in these areas.
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
During her early life, Hillary Clinton learned that a huge problem across the globe was gender inequality. Women and men were not equal. Men were making more money than women for the same jobs. She believed she could change this. On September 5, 1995 Hillary Clinton gave a speech at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women. Clinton uses powerful rhetoric in order to create an air of sympathy for women among her audience. She is hoping to make the world become more aware of the inequalities women face daily while also making them feel ashamed for their previous actions of discriminating women, which would cause them to change their ways. She uses her speech “Women’s Rights Are Human Rights” to create awareness of the discrimination
Winfrey, Oprah, and Bill Adler. The Uncommon Wisdom of Oprah Winfrey: A Portrait in her Own Words. New York: Carol Pub. Group, 1997. Print.
Before characterizing Lizabeth as malicious, a definition must be provided. The first online source defines malicious as “Intentionally harmful, spiteful” (dictionary.com). Another source, Collins English Dictionary, provides this similar definition: “Intended to harm people or their reputation, or cause them embarrassment and upset.” Finally, the last website notes a slightly different definition which states, “Someone who is malicious enjoys hurting or embarrassing others” (vocabulary.com). Unlike the others, the final definition provided adds that the malicious acts done are for enjoyment. All of the definitions impart two criteria are needed to prove that someone is malicious. The first criterion that must be apparent is that someone must
Whoopi Goldberg is a force of nature—a transcendent talent who has obliterated boundaries and shattered ceilings with her wit, grit, and unique shine. From the mean streets of her New York childhood to the dizzying heights of entertainment royalty, Goldberg has blazed an audacious trail like no other. With just a Velvet Jones brick in her hand and a dream, she rose from the ashes of poverty and discrimination, channeling her life's struggles into raw, revolutionary comedy. Goldberg's riotous one-woman show on Broadway was a meteoric rise, catapulting her to Hollywood stardom with a searing, Oscar-nominated turn in The Color Purple. But for this utterly singular artist, that was just the opening act.
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
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.
Winfrey has brought so much change to the world that one cannot just write a simple paragraph about. She has used her platform to discuss topics that are truly life changing such as Weight Issues, Reading, Give Big, and Taboo. Topics about weight have always interested the public, and Oprah was one individual who discussed it for the world to put their input in. She has talked about her own weight and made it clear how diet and exercise is important for the body. She strived to put the message in people’s ear’s that being healthy is what’s right. The next topic is reading, and this came from her “Oprah 's Book Club”. Oprah has always believed that reading is a fundamental skill and she wanted others to hop on the bandwagon and expand their knowledge. She started this book club for many reasons and it surely brought change to society. Give Big is the next topic of discussion and this changed society in a positive way. In 1997, Oprah wanted her viewers to make a difference in other people’s lives by donating their spare change. Shortly after that, she transformed that into the charity known as “Oprah 's Angel Network”. This charity was a huge success and has helped a lot of individuals in need. The final topics that will be discussed are taboo topics such as abuse, infidelity and addiction. These types of topics are what made Oprah Winfrey’s show such a success. She was so open about her childhood and other obstacles she had to face in her life that people began to trust
Although Oprah has experienced excruciating periods of her life, she still has proved that anyone can make a difference no matter what his/her background may be. Oprah is living proof that anything is possible, and dreams do come true. Oprah has proved to people everywhere that true joy in life comes from giving to those who are in need. “I define Joy as a sustained sense of well-being and internal piece – a connection to what matters” (Oprah Winfrey).
I can never picture myself in such a degrading, impoverished, and victimized position, which is probably why I decided to pursue this issue among many others. It was not until last Thursday on April 14, 2011 during Ashley Judd’s All That Is Bitter & Sweet book signing at Book Passage in Corte Madera, however, that I felt the need and calling to delve deeper into the topic. Judd shared her odyssey as an advocate for those suffering in neglected parts of the world. She discussed the poverty, sexual abuse, and violence people in those less ...