Despite the fact that Oprah’s life appears to have reached near perfection, the life that she lives now was merely a figment of her imagination while she was growing up. On January 29, 1954 in Kosciusko, Mississippi, Vernita Lee gave birth to Oprah. Original intentions were for the name “Orpah,” from the book of Ruth in the Bible. However, Winfrey became known as “Oprah” after birth due to a spelling error on her birth certificate (UXL Biographies 1). 18-year-old Vernita Lee and 20-year-old Vernon Winfrey were not expecting this surprise. Vernon, who was in the service at the time, did not find out about the birth until he received a letter from Vernita requesting clothes (1). The lack of job opportunities in Kosciusko influenced Vern

“Oprah did not so much host the show as immerse herself in it, with a style that blended earthiness, humor, spontaneity, and candor, with a unique personal touch. She turned a conventional talk show into a distinctive hour of laughing, crying, hollering, hugging, sharing.” (Authors & Artists 202)

Oprah, being the insightful woman that she is, is constantly in search of new methods to raise people’s spirits and inspire them to appreciate their lives. She will leave women and men with the desire to seek truth and success. People can be motivated by her stories and see that opportunity is certainly in the air.

Oprah’s life story has convinced me that she is a truly incredible woman. On top of the obstacles she faced through out her life she was handicapped with a major concept: being an African American woman. Time and time again she came out on top getting promoted, owning her own production company, battling weight problems, and fighting lawsuits. Oprah has the type of drive and work ethic I could kill to have. Oprah Winfrey has proved to me that hard work and determination will certainly get you a long way.

“I am one of those people who has dieted and gained, and dieted and gained. And since I started dieting, I have gained seventy pounds. I wake up in the morning, I go and look in the mirror sometimes, and one of the reasons why I realized I don’t have a handgun is because I would have shot off my thighs years ago (Oprah! 137-38).

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