Ellen
November 30, 2012
English III
Mrs. Putnam
2nd Block
In 1958, DeGeneres was born in Metairie, Louisiana. She was born the daughter of an insurance salesmen named Elliot, and a working mother, Betty, who soon divorced when DeGeneres was a teenager (“Ellen DeGeneres”, U*X*L). After the divorce, Degeneres and her mother moved to Atlanta. There, DeGeneres found her mother getting sadder and sadder. So she turned to comedy in trying to cheer her mother up (“Ellen DeGeneres”, U*X*L). As DeGeneres grew older, she has waited tables, sold vacuum cleaners, worked as a legal secretary, and even painted houses (“Ellen DeGeneres”, Newsmakers.) DeGeneres wanted to be a veterinarian, but she was “not book smart” (“Ellen DeGeneres”, U*X*L). In 1982, she took the stage for the first time at the local coffee shop (“DeGeneres, Ellen” 1958). Later that year, she entered Showtime’s Funniest Person In America contest, and won (“DeGeneres, Ellen” 1958). That helped start her career, but the real springboard into stardom was when she went on The Tonight Show, and Johnny Carson called her over to his couch. She was the first women in history to be invited to sit on the famed couch on her first visit (“DeGeneres, Ellen” 1958). In 1994, she was offered her own sitcom by ABC, called These Friends of Mine, but for the second season, was renamed Ellen (“DeGeneres, Ellen” 1958). DeGeneres came out of the closet through her sitcom, and quickly became a leader and role model in the L.G.B.T community. Since Ellen went off the air, DeGeneres has been in multiple movies, and has even gotten her own syndicated, award winning talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show. But her real success is overcoming adversity, and achieving her dreams against all odds.
One thing that really influenced DeGeneres’ American Dream is where she grew up, Louisiana. "I rode my bike everywhere. All over the campus [of Newcomb College]. All over uptown. You know, people can grow up in New Orleans without
English III
Mrs. Putnam
2nd Block
In 1958, DeGeneres was born in Metairie, Louisiana. She was born the daughter of an insurance salesmen named Elliot, and a working mother, Betty, who soon divorced when DeGeneres was a teenager (“Ellen DeGeneres”, U*X*L). After the divorce, Degeneres and her mother moved to Atlanta. There, DeGeneres found her mother getting sadder and sadder. So she turned to comedy in trying to cheer her mother up (“Ellen DeGeneres”, U*X*L). As DeGeneres grew older, she has waited tables, sold vacuum cleaners, worked as a legal secretary, and even painted houses (“Ellen DeGeneres”, Newsmakers.) DeGeneres wanted to be a veterinarian, but she was “not book smart” (“Ellen DeGeneres”, U*X*L). In 1982, she took the stage for the first time at the local coffee shop (“DeGeneres, Ellen” 1958). Later that year, she entered Showtime’s Funniest Person In America contest, and won (“DeGeneres, Ellen” 1958). That helped start her career, but the real springboard into stardom was when she went on The Tonight Show, and Johnny Carson called her over to his couch. She was the first women in history to be invited to sit on the famed couch on her first visit (“DeGeneres, Ellen” 1958). In 1994, she was offered her own sitcom by ABC, called These Friends of Mine, but for the second season, was renamed Ellen (“DeGeneres, Ellen” 1958). DeGeneres came out of the closet through her sitcom, and quickly became a leader and role model in the L.G.B.T community. Since Ellen went off the air, DeGeneres has been in multiple movies, and has even gotten her own syndicated, award winning talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show. But her real success is overcoming adversity, and achieving her dreams against all odds.
One thing that really influenced DeGeneres’ American Dream is where she grew up, Louisiana. "I rode my bike everywhere. All over the campus [of Newcomb College]. All over uptown. You know, people can grow up in New Orleans without