The Role of Oprah Winfrey in Shaping the Society of the United States - Essay Example

Oprah Winfrey was brought up for the initial years of her life on the farm of her grandmother. Her grandmother brought her up and made her learn reading. At the mere age of 9, Winfrey was sexually assaulted by her cousin and these assaults were a part of her life till she turned thirteen.

She moved in with her father Nashville where she gave birth to a premature child who died a very short time after birth. Her father gave Winfrey support and security and made it important for her to read books and study. This provided an environment of success for Winfrey (Entertainment Executive 1991; Lowe 2001). Oprah Winfrey’s passion for acting and her wish to bring quality entertainment projects into production encouraged her to form her own production company, Harpo Productions.

As she was sexually abused in her childhood, she was stimulated and wanted to do something for sexually abused children. Hence; she started a campaign to establish a national database of convicted child abusers and it was also testified before a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on behalf of a National Child Protection Act. Oprah is indulged in giving to charity through her Oprah Winfrey Foundation. This foundation has assisted organizations that support the literacy of children, and the rights of women and assist families in America and around the world.

She analyzed the importance of education and believed that education can change the life of people. It is for this purpose that she is providing opportunities for students who are bright but cannot achieve good education owing to the lack of funds. She donates funds for supporting their education. She has also established The Oprah Winfrey Scholarship Programme. The purpose of this program is to provide educational scholarships to students who can then serve for the betterment of society.

Oprah Winfrey has also laid the foundation of many schools for children around the world who are poor and cannot afford quality education. She initiated Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. This academy is devoted to providing for the education of girls in South Africa. Thus, the services of Oprah Winfrey have not been restricted to the United States but she rather works towards the betterment of all human beings (Harrison 2009). Ever since she was a young child, she wished to bring about change and make the world a better place to live for all.

Winfrey believed that her father had a strong role in carving her character and he has a major part in her success. She put forward the fact that education is extremely important in the life of every individual. She believes that if she had not been taught how to read, she would have never been where she stands today. It is for this purpose that she has created foundations for providing education to the deprived population. For her, education is the most important thing because that is what enlightened her approach toward life (Entertainment Executive 1991).

She utilized her past which included her low socioeconomic status, her dark childhood moments as well as her increased weight to make her audience understand that an individual should be optimistic about life. She came close to her audience by communicating her past to them and thus she succeeded in winning the hearts of thousands of people (Cotton et al 2010). Oprah Winfrey is one of the most influential people in the world. She rules the hearts of millions of people across the world. Her down-to-earth nature, her positive approach toward life, and her caring nature toward people have inspired me immensely and that is what led to me writing about her.

Even though she was born in an unfortunate home where she lived in horrific conditions, in a place where she was not given much attention nor was she treated with love, she remained to stay positive throughout and that teaches us a lesson to have a positive attitude towards our life and work hard towards the achievement of success.