The Secret to Oprah Winfrey's Success
Haneefah Muhammad
Manning
English-10/Period: 1
16 May 2011 The Secret to One Of America’s Biggest Icons Success Everyone knows Oprah Winfrey, and there might be a lot of controversy about how Oprah became who she is today, and what all it took for her to become a billionaire. Oprah, one of America’s top icons went through many obstacles and struggles to become what she is today. Although, Oprah is very famous, and on the T.V. screen it appears like her life is easy, this essay can give you a look behind the scenes to see what she really had to overcome to get where she is today. Do you think that Oprah just luckily became one of America’s Icons, or that she had to work hard for it? There are probably many questions that can be asked about how Oprah became who she is. But, I’ll just say that Oprah’s childhood, social class, and her career aspirations are key to her success. When Oprah was born, the voyage to her success started which was January 29th, 1954. Oprah Gail Winfrey was born to Vernita Lee at age eighteen, and Vernon Winfrey who was the age of twenty. After Oprah’s birth, Vernita, Oprah’s mother had to find a job, so she moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Oprah then had to live with her grandmother, Hattie Mae Lee on her farm in Mississippi (Elizabeth). Vernita had the intentions of moving Oprah with her when she got a stable job. Meanwhile, Oprah’s grandmother encouraged her love for books and learning, and taught her how to read at the age of 3 and write by the age of 5. Oprah then began to preach at the church that she attended and read the Bible. Oprah lived her whole childhood in poverty, and did not have much of anything, but she always got the best of it. At one point Oprah even had pet roaces named Melinda and Sandy. One thing that Oprah says that probably made her stong and contributes to who she is today is to “Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have
Manning
English-10/Period: 1
16 May 2011 The Secret to One Of America’s Biggest Icons Success Everyone knows Oprah Winfrey, and there might be a lot of controversy about how Oprah became who she is today, and what all it took for her to become a billionaire. Oprah, one of America’s top icons went through many obstacles and struggles to become what she is today. Although, Oprah is very famous, and on the T.V. screen it appears like her life is easy, this essay can give you a look behind the scenes to see what she really had to overcome to get where she is today. Do you think that Oprah just luckily became one of America’s Icons, or that she had to work hard for it? There are probably many questions that can be asked about how Oprah became who she is. But, I’ll just say that Oprah’s childhood, social class, and her career aspirations are key to her success. When Oprah was born, the voyage to her success started which was January 29th, 1954. Oprah Gail Winfrey was born to Vernita Lee at age eighteen, and Vernon Winfrey who was the age of twenty. After Oprah’s birth, Vernita, Oprah’s mother had to find a job, so she moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Oprah then had to live with her grandmother, Hattie Mae Lee on her farm in Mississippi (Elizabeth). Vernita had the intentions of moving Oprah with her when she got a stable job. Meanwhile, Oprah’s grandmother encouraged her love for books and learning, and taught her how to read at the age of 3 and write by the age of 5. Oprah then began to preach at the church that she attended and read the Bible. Oprah lived her whole childhood in poverty, and did not have much of anything, but she always got the best of it. At one point Oprah even had pet roaces named Melinda and Sandy. One thing that Oprah says that probably made her stong and contributes to who she is today is to “Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have
Cited: “Oprah Winfrey Biography”, 2011. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. “Oprah Winfrey.” Academy of Achievement, 21 Oct. 2010. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. Fry, Elizabeth. “A Childhood Biography of Oprah Winfrey.” About.com, 2011. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. Lane, Vernetta. “Oprah Winfrey”, 2010. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. Metcalf, Stephen. “Oprah’s Biography.” Slate Magazines, 20 May 2010. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. Nelson, Cassandra. “Oprah Winfrey’s official biography”, Jan. 2011. Web. 14 Apr. 2011.