Preview

Who Is Oprah Winfrey?

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
3760 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Who Is Oprah Winfrey?
Oprah Winfrey

I chose to complete my case study on Oprah Winfrey. I will look at Oprah when she was a child growing up and living life in her adult life. The reason why I chose to write about Oprah is because; she’s such a kind hearted woman that has worked for everything that she has. Oprah is a strong black woman that I can relate to as our childhoods are similar in many ways. Her story is amazing and she sheds light on dreams that we all may have even if we have started off wrong or even fell off. Oprah’s life is proof that with hard work and dedication anything is possible. Oprah was born January 29, 1954 in the small town of Kosciusko Mississippi. She was named Oprah Gail Winfrey. She was raised by her young single teenage
…show more content…
Soon Oprah entered Tennessee State University to take up her career in television broadcasting and radio. Oprah was well know, she had won pageants like “Miss Tennessee” as well as Miss Black Nashville. Things were going very well for Oprah at this time in her life. Oprah moved to Baltimore in 1976. There Oprah was a TV show host for People is talking. Oprah’s show ran for 8 Years straight. Next up for Oprah was hosting a morning show in Chicago IL. That show too was a huge hit, it was so big that it was up against the Phil Donahue Show. It didn’t take long for Oprah’s show to push forward and become number 1. Oprah was well known and in 1985 she was then up for nomination for an Academy Award for the film The Color Purple. 1986 is when the Oprah Winfrey Show began. Oprah had blossomed right in front of everyone’s eyes. She went from being poor to a national celebrity. All though Oprah didn’t take the win for The Academy Award for best supporting actor in the movie it was still a milestone in her life. The year of 1986 Oprah was nominated for several Emmy Awards. Harpo Productions took off this year as well, as Oprah was handed the National Organization for Women of Achievement …show more content…
The magazine “O” was known as the most successful magazine to exist. Nearly ten years ago Oprah was named the world’s only black billionaire by Forbes’. “Business Week” listed Oprah as one of fifty most giving philanthropists. Oprah has invested about 40 Million dollars in her Leadership Academy for the Girls in South Africa. 2009 Oprah announced the closing of her show know as “The Oprah Winfrey Show” that has been on air for over 25 years. As she closes “The Oprah Winfrey Show” she will launch “The Oprah Winfrey Network” on cable television also known as “OWN”. Oprah has done it all from being a producer, reporter, activist, TV host, actress and the list goes on. Oprah’s motivation in life was her life lessons. While Oprah was growing up she was faced with many obstacles in her life both good and bad. As Oprah attended school she found that she was very smart, she enjoyed talking with others. She also enjoyed helping people in any way that she could. Reading and writing was a subject that interested Oprah the most. Oprah found herself reading, writing, and speaking with others to learn while growing

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Bio of Oprah Winfrey

    • 409 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Her break came in when she hosted radio and television in Nashville she later moved to Baltimore, Maryland, where she hosted a TV chat show. Ms. Winfrey stayed with the company for eight years before landing her own show. She went up against some big names like Phil Donahue, Ricki Lake, and Geraldo whom at the time where the top TV host. When Oprah came alone she became first in ratings by getting over 100,000 more watches, because she brought something different to the table on talk show instead of tabloids and trashy talks she gain the respect of her viewers. She also brought a little of her personal life in to television by losing a total of 90 pounds on the show, but she gained it again and her weight has been an issue thru out her career.…

    • 409 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    "Joe" McGraw, Jr."(Phil McGraw.) McGraw attended Shawnee Mission North High School in Overland Park, Kansas. "In 1968, he was awarded a football scholarship to the University of Tulsa, where he played middle linebacker. McGraw graduated in 1975 from Midwestern State University with a B.A. in psychology. He went on to earn an M.A. in experimental psychology in 1976, and a Ph.D. degree in clinical psychology in 1979 at the University of North Texas, where his dissertation was titled "Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Psychological Intervention"'' (Dr. Phil McGraw Biography.) McGraw was guided through the doctoral program by Frank Lawlis, who later became the "primary contributing psychologist for the Dr. Phil television show."(Phil Mcgraw.) After obtaining his doctorate McGraw had established his private psychology practice. "In 1995, Oprah Winfrey hired McGraw's legal consulting firm CSI to prepare her for the Amarillo Texas beeftriai."(Dr. Phil McGraw Biography.) Winfrey was so impressed with McGraw that she thanked him for her victory in that case, which ended in 1998. Soon after, she invited him to appear on her show. "His appearance proved so successful that he began appearing weekly as a relationship and life strategy expert on Tuesdays starting in Aprill998."(Phil McGraw.) In the fall of2002, he launched his own tv show, Dr. Phil. "The one-hour talk show garnered the highest ratings of…

    • 1163 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Final Paper

    • 1778 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Motivation is the willingness to do something and persistence of effort toward attaining a goal.Aung San Suu Kyi’s father was a national hero who led the Burma independence movement and her mother is an ambassador. It is easy to say, the apple didn 't fall far from the family tree. Suu Kyi has put forth her entire being in advocating against the militant rule in Burma, and also spoke out against oppression and inspired generations of Burmese people – even the world. Defying social convention of “appropriate” gender roles, Suu Kyi led a pro-democracy movement in Burma.…

    • 1778 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Oprah Winfrey, a very successful black woman. She attended a Historical Black College and University named Tennessee State University. She is now a television talk show host. More than half of all African-American professions are proud graduates of Historical Black Colleges and Universities. Black colleges and universities contribute to the rise of young black men and women, whom inspire to be future professionals, intellectuals, and creative artists. This is shown throughout American society. Historical Black Colleges and Universities provide a great social environment that helps students prepare for the life after college. Students end up having a network of friends that will stay in contact with them for the rest of their lives. Also the students look forward to attending their school’s annual homecoming events as alumnus. Historical Black Colleges and Universities are better than Traditionally White Institutions socially by having a family feel, excitement on campus, and communicating with professors.…

    • 687 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    But to see Oprah’s impact on the world, we must go back all the way to her childhood, where her road to success began. Oprah (originally her name was Orpah Winfrey, but due to frequent misspellings of her first name she changed it to Oprah) was born on January 29, 1954 in Kosciusko, a rural town in…

    • 776 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Elvis Presley was conceived in Tupelo, Mississippi on January 8, 1935. Regardless of his later status as a fabulous performer, his family lived close neediness amid his adolescence. Elvis was raised as a just kid (his indistinguishable twin sibling was stillborn) and was near his mom. It was his mom that urged Presley to purchase his first guitar, instead of the rifle he truly needed to purchase. When he had his guitar, he was seldom seen without it. The Presley family went to the Assembly of God church, which was later to affect his music and the special sound he would get to be well known for. As Presley got wiser, he would play anyplace he could, step by step becoming well known in Memphis along the celebrated internationally Beale Street.…

    • 147 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Not only her show airs in the United States, but also in 140 other countries around the world. Therefore, she has over a billion fans, who respect her with how much effort she puts into her work. Oprah is one of the television hosts who interviewed almost every type of person in this world. She fills viewers’ brains with new knowledge and various perspectives on situations our societies are faced with.…

    • 491 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Oprah’s claim to fame did not come easily. It was in fact a very difficult trip up the ladder of success for Winfrey. She grew up in Kosciusko, Mississippi (Waldron 13). Oprah’s troubled life began almost as soon as she was born, as her parents were unmarried teens and were stricken with poverty. However, the unfortunate circumstances did not stop there; Oprah was also the target of numerous cases of sexual mistreatment and assault, by male relatives (Waldron 28). However, these hardships and unfortunate situations only made Oprah stronger.…

    • 978 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Winfrey was born in 1954 in rural Mississippi to a teenage single mother and later raised in an inner-city Milwaukee neighborhood. She experienced considerable hardship during her childhood, including being raped at the age of nine and becoming pregnant at 14. At 18 Winfrey won the Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant. She is known for her self-titled talk show. Her show has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history. Winfrey's talk show went national in 1986, and as it had in Chicago, Oprah took the top spot almost immediately. It's been the top-rated daytime talk show ever since. There is immense power in Winfrey's opinions and endorsements to influence public opinion. She certainly has a place in one of the most powerful women in the World…

    • 714 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Oprah Gail Winfrey was born on January 29, 1954 in a poverty stricken rural area of Mississippi to a single teenage mother. Oprah was moved from Mississippi shortly after she was born and was raised in an inner-city neighborhood in Milwaukee. She experienced severe hardship while she was growing up. Oprah was raped at the age of nine, she became pregnant when she was 14, and her child died while he was an infant. After her son died, Oprah was sent to live with the man she calls her father, a barber in Tennessee. While living in Tennessee, Oprah landed her first job in radio and began co-anchoring the local news. From there, she made her way to who she is now. Oprah has made herself the greatest philanthropist in American history and is considered the most influential woman in the world.…

    • 1260 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    There were many white and black women that were successful activists and coordinators of organizations, such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Anthony and Stanton…

    • 516 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Oprah was born on January 9, 1954 in an underprivileged neighborhood in Mississippi. Her childhood was a rough one, as her mother was a single, teenage, housemaid. She was sent to live with her grandmother at a young age and experienced the many heartaches of poverty and abuse my family members. Oprah knew she wanted to work in media and help people; when she was in high school, she received a part time job reciting the news for a local radio station. She worked a series of other jobs, including a low rated morning show spot in Chicago.…

    • 519 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Black History Month

    • 747 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Maya Angelou; a talented novelist, poet and stage/screen writer recited her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" at President Bill Clinton's inauguration in 1993. Ms. Angelou is also known as "America's most visible black female autobiographer". She is known because of her harsh and honest writings. Another entertainer was Marian Anderson; an opera singer and the first African-American to sing at the New York Metropolitan Opera. She helped break the color barrier in the arts. Then, of course is Oprah Winfrey: a talk show host who motivates both young and old. Oprah is an American television host, producer, and philanthropist. She has also been ranked the richest African American of the 20th century and beyond,the greatest black philanthropist in American history, and was once the world's only black billionaire. There are others such as Alex Haley (author), Louis Armtrong (musician), and Ed Bradley (TV show…

    • 747 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Graffiti Vs. Modern art

    • 613 Words
    • 2 Pages

    To begin with, Oprah Winfey is known to be the first African-American women to become one of the self-made richest women in America. How did she do it? Well, she started as young women working in the media carrier. She began as a radio talk host, helping people overcoming their everday problem and struggles for women.Then,she began hosting a show on basic televison called ''The Oprah Winfrey Show" 1986 to 2011. The show got many positive reviews by the Wall Street Journal and many other popular newspaper. She was inspired to start the show by her hard truamatazing teenage life. Later on she started to own more channels on television such as "Oxygen" and "OWN: Oprah Winfey Netword." She became so well known and most watch women in the 21th Century and making about 13 million dollars a yearly bases. Accomplishing her dream of helping many people in danger.…

    • 613 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Oprah Winfrey

    • 2909 Words
    • 12 Pages

    Oprah Gail Winfrey was born January 29, 1954 in rural Kosciusko, Mississippi to her young unmarried mother Vernita Lee and assumed father Vernon Winfrey. Vernita Lee, born in 1933, was a housemaid who gave birth,…

    • 2909 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Better Essays