Oprah Winfrey Perseverance

In Lofton’s book, she addresses that there is more to Oprah than meets the eye. Her thesis statement, “What is Oprah? Oprah is an instance of American astonishment at what can be” (Lofton 1), shows the reader that the author clearly sees Oprah as a significant figure in America and will proceed to show us how so throughout the book. Through several examples, Lofton conveys her point by pointing out the influence Oprah has had on others to help them live life to their full potentials religiously, economically, physically, emotionally and socially.

Oprah Gail Winfrey was born on January 29. 1954, to Vernita Lee, a single teenage mother. She lived with her grandmother in Kosciusko, Mississippi, while her mother worked in Milwaukee to earn money for her family. Despite living in a primitive environment, Oprah was able to flourish with the unlimited support of her grandmother and her church’s community, which gave her the foundation to succeed in life.

From the time I was born until the age of twelve, my family struggled with the basic necessities of life. My father worked endless hours in a factory, and yet somehow came home with a smile on his face. As a young kid, I never knew we were struggling. The thought had never occurred to me. As I got older I started to realize that my single father was working his life away to care and provide for his two little girls. He completely put aside his well-being because as long as his girls were cared for, nothing else mattered. Life was never easy, but as a young adult today, I have come to accept that my background has been a prerequisite for greatness, for it is our backgrounds that define who we are. The way we are raised, the way we are taught to believe, and the way we are taught to act, make us who we are today.

Oprah Gail Winfrey grew up in a small farming community. A nineteen year old male cousin raped her when she was nine. She was molested by a family friend and an uncle until she was fourteen. She became pregnant and gave birth to a baby that died soon after. She then went to live with her father. She blamed herself for these incidents and it took her many years to realize it was not her fault. Winfrey told her history of sexual abuse on air when one of her guests told her story. Later, eight hundred viewers called in with their stories and to receive referrals to counseling. Oprah had even decided to commit suicide in September 1981. She later felt that she was not really serious about taking her life, but she had even written a note to her friend, Gayle King Bumpus. Her passion and commitment on the issue of sexual abuse came from her own childhood experience, but she had not allowed her

Why do we push past the obstacles to be happy? Happiness is golden to America. Perseverance is the Great Depression. Making it through this frivolous time was an achievement. Farms were going bankrupt, and my grandfather was about to lose more than anyone.

“Without that inspiration. after being raped at age 9 and holding a babe at age 14. she may not hold been able to work on the wireless while still in high school or co-anchored the local eventide intelligence at age 19.” World Wide Web. Oprah.

Homer’s The Odyssey, an epic poem about the trials of Odysseus on his return journey, demonstrates that perseverance is at the heart of every hero. The ability to endure hardships is not a quality that is attributed to many characters, and in The Odyssey, a character’s lack of perseverance will bring him his demise. Similar to Odysseus, Penelope, his wife, perseveres by staying faithful and unmarried for twenty years, while waiting for his return. Through The Odyssey, Homer suggests that those who are loyal to and homesick for their homeland are willing to persevere for their homecoming, and thereby they complete the journey that proves them a hero.

Ellen and Oprah went through very different experiences throughout their life. Oprah's childhood was tramutic considering she dealt with sexual abouse at

After the phsycilogical abuse from my parents, my only goal was to graduate and nothing further until I befriended my sister's friend. I didn't really think much of him until I discovered his past. This person came from living with a physically abusive father to living on the streets to becoming this successful person standing right infront of me. This person has shown me that no matter what background or family you come from, you can always bring yourself up. Because of this person I've been able to become who I am

She then grew up and now stands strong against Sexual Abuse. Oprah believes that it’s more than an act of abuse, it’s the shame that

One such example is when Oprah pronounces, “ So I want tonight to express gratitude to all the women who have endured years of assault and abuse because they, like my mother, had children to feed and bills to pay and dreams to pursue.” She reaches out and pulls in the heart of the audience to expose all of the raw emotion this statement provides. She shows women that they are not alone, they are loved and their hard work does not go unnoticed. They work hard for a bigger goals, whether it be for their children or future dreams, the struggle is real. She gives all these women hope that everything will be fine if they continue to work through the struggle not only for themselves, but for their children as

Oprah used all her years of trauma and obstacles and used it as a way to relate to people and give them advice. She inspired people and helped people achieve goals. Oprah said “Failure is a great teacher, if you're open to it” this shows us that our mistakes can be the reason for our success, but we must accept all our failures so that we can learn from them. “Yet even as a child, she never saw her future as limited in any way” Oprah says “I never believed that would be my life. I believed I belonged to someone or something bigger than myself, my family, even Mississippi.

In addition to being talk show hosts, Oprah Winfrey and Ellen Degeneres are two of the most influential people in America. “Despite the fact that the odds are against the average woman, especially the average minority woman, these two have risen above the challenge and reached the heights of superstardom and financial virtue”(Oprah vs. Ellen). Both of these ladies have faced hardships while coming up in their life while trying to find an career. Oprah was born to an teenage mother in mississippi. Growing up, racism and poverty surrounded her. Ellen grew up in New Orleans with her family. Her dad was an insurance salesperson and her mother was a real estate agent. Later on in life, Ellen faced taunting from others because of her sexuality.

What is perseverance? Perseverance is the ability to go on when things seem hopeless. It is also a measure of success, or at least how much sacrifice one is willing to make in the name of success. As students, it is impossible to achieve personal success without having a goal, or direction. The goal and direction that often propels us to achieve is perseverance. Perseverance is the ability to forge ahead despite setbacks that threaten to undermine all efforts to succeed.

Oprah Winfrey, was a smart brave kid. When Oprah was younger she didn't have the life she wanted to have. Oprah was pushed around by mother to father to grandparents. Her grandparents taught her the basics like, reading, talking, writing. When she was living with her grandparents her mother was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin trying to get her life together so she could get her daughter back and so she could have a stable job and a roof over both of there heads and her father in Nashville, Tennessee. When Oprah was living with her mother after she was forced to after her grandmother basically taught all the stuff she needed to know. Her mother never gave her full attention as she was supposed to do. So during that time she wasn't caring, Oprah was