Oprah and Edison essays

Oprah and Edison essays Oprah Winfreys life was far from successful. On January, 29, 1954 Oprah Gail Winfrey was born to teenage parents who werent married. Vernita Lee her 18 year old mother was a housemaid and her father Vernon Winfrey served for armed services at the age of 20. For the first six years of her life Oprah was raised on a farm in Mississippi by her grandmother. Her grandmother taught Oprah how to read at a very young age of three. She started her public speaking at the church reciting sermons. Her grandmother believed in her and constantly said, Youre gifted. At the age of six Oprahs mother decided that she was capable of taking care of Oprah, so she moved with her mother to Milwaukee. She was raped by a cousin when she was nine and later molested by a male friend of her moms and by an uncle. Since she didnt tell anyone about this she rebelled and repeatedly ran away and got into trouble. Her mother couldnt put up with her anymore and was sent to live with her father Vernon. She became pregnant at fourteen and gave birth to a baby boy who was a still born. The death of her baby devastated her tremendously and she vowed to turn her life around. Her father was strict and made her read a book every week and have a report on it. At the age of 19 Oprah had her first job as a reporter for a radio station. Shortly after, she was accepted into Tennessee State University. She studied radio and television broadcasting which she hoped to peruse a career in. During her first year Oprah received several awards including Miss Black Nashville and Miss Tennessee. In 1976, Oprah moved to Baltimore where she hosted a show called People Are Talking. The show was a hit and Oprah stayed with it for eight years. Later after the show stopped she was recruited by a TV station in Chicago to host her own morning show, AM Chicago. The show, ...