Ms. Shah
English 9
March 6, 2009
The American Dream How does one achieve the American Dream? The answer undoubtedly depends upon one’s definition of the Dream, and there are many from which to choose. John Winthrop envisioned a religious paradise in a "City upon a Hill." Martin Luther King, Jr. dreamed of racial equality. Both men yearned for what they perceived as perfection. But, the definition of the American Dream is an idea which suggests that all people can succeed through hard work, and that all people have the potential to live happy, successful lives. It matters not who you are and what ethnic group you’re from, you can achieve the American dream. Lets look at Martin Luther King Jr. He turned the …show more content…
As a child her life was not a fairy tale at all. At a young age Winfrey's parents separated and sent her to live with grandparents in very poor surroundings. Later, at the age of six she moved to live with her mother. She was consequently sexually molested by male relatives at a young age and endured the hardship up until she was 14. She moved to live with her father in Nashville Tennessee. Living with her father did not eliminate her problems even though he was loving (yet strict) towards her. She struggled with drugs and rebellious behavior and even the loss of a baby after giving birth to it prematurely. Wild behavior conflicted with her father's strict rules and high standards. After being awarded a University Scholarship she eventually began to settle down. Winfrey studied at the Tennessee State University and received a BA in Speech and Performing Arts. It was her father's high standards that inspired her to aim for and achieve more from life. Winfrey became involved in several groups and pursued her interests in media and journalism while at University. Even though her early years in life where filled with hardship, she was always gifted with intelligence and she graduated as an honors student. Winfrey's career really began to take off after moving to Chicago in 1984 to host "AM Chicago", an early morning talk show at WLS-TV's. It went on to become the number one ranked talk