As I ponder whom it might be that I would consider a role model, I realized that there are a lot of people I know personally that I could look to for inspiration. But I am sharing these thoughts with others who most likely do not know my friend or my sister-in-law or the gal I work with. Therefore I think I should write about someone famous. But, it seems that these days there are not a lot of good role models to choose from, at least not from the “typical” choices that we usually think of as role models. I realize celebrities’ private lives should be just that; but when a person is in the limelight perhaps they should use that notoriety for some sort of good.
There are some criteria that my role model must possess. First, she must be close to my age. She has to have overcome some obstacle, or maybe better said, did not have her “celebrity” status handed to her. Finally, she must be helping others, haring the blessings she has received with others.
I believe that someone who fits those criteria quite well is Oprah Winfrey.
Oprah Winfrey’s life has had a very difficult and tumultuous beginning. She was born in 1954 to a poor, unmarried black girl living in the very racially segregated state of Mississippi. For a while, Oprah was raised by her grandmother, after her mother moved north. She eventually went to live with her father in Nashville, after having survived body abuse and the birth and death of baby of her own.
Oprah’s rise to fame began in Baltimore, then Chicago, with her hosting morning talk shows, such as A. M. Chicago. She became so popular that in 1986, she launched The Oprah Winfrey Show. Oprah began her own production company, Harpo, and obtained control of The Oprah Winfrey Show, which was now in syndication.
In 1994, Oprah did something that caught my attention and with which she gained my respect. She decided to break away from the mold of other daytime talk shows and pledged that her show would be free from “tabloid topics”. Her viewers responded slowly, but very positively, and her popularity surged. The Oprah Winfrey Show was now centered on uplifting, meaningful subjects, many of which are aimed towards women.
Oprah has used her gaining popularity, in my opinion, to launch many meaningful projects. She launched Oprah’s Book Club in 1996. The Book Club is an on-air reading club intended to get the country excited about literature again. To date, all the book club selections have become instant bestsellers. Oprah’s Angel Network was started in 1997, encouraging people to open their hearts to those in need. This includes a project to collect small change to send students to college and to sponsor Habitat for Humanity programs.
Oprah has been able to share her blessings with others while keeping her pledge to focus The Oprah Winfrey Show on subjects that will encourage her viewers. Each week her shows cover such topics as spirituality, wellness, fitness, relationships, steps towards financial freedom and more.
Winfrey’s talent for public performance and spontaneity in answering questions helped her win fame. Winfrey talk show has an estimated audience of 14 million daily in the US and millions more in 132 other countries—predominantly women. She is also an accomplished actress and won an Academy Award nomination for her role in The Color Purple.
Another reason that I admire Oprah is because she genuinely seems to be “just a regular gal”. Her book, Make the Connection shows how Oprah is like any other woman. The painful revelations she shares about her struggle with weight loss really touched me. Even as she was given an Emmy Award, her thoughts were on how heavy she must look in the dress she was wearing. Once I went to a lecture given by one of Oprah’s favorite authors. As we were sitting before the lecture began, a couple of black women walked in. My friend said, “Oh look, there’s Oprah,” I said, “no it’s not”, she said, “yes it is” and back and forth we went. Well, as it turns out, it was Oprah. She looked just like the rest of us: she did not come in amongst media frenzy as might be expected. When the speaker introduced her, she was almost embarrassed to stand.
I feel Oprah is a genuinely nice person, someone who would be a great girlfriend. She has a head on her shoulders and knows where she is going. She has made a name for herself and is not embarrassed by her wealth and knows the importance of sharing the blessings that have been bestowed upon her.
1. All of the following are the reasons why the author chose Oprah Winfrey as her role model EXCEPT ________.
2. The word “tabloid” in the sixth paragraph probably means ________.
3. Oprah’s talk show CANNOT be described as ________.
4. The reasons why Oprah became famous include all the following EXCEPT ________.
5. A suitable title for the passage would be ________.
