Saying Goodbye to “Lady O”…
May 24th, 2011 | Published in Culture, Social Issues
Oprah Calls and Reflects on 25 Years, By Brian Stelter, New York Times
ESL Voices Activities for this article
Oprah Winfrey at the Sydney Opera House -George Burns :afp:getty
For those of you who haven’t heard yet, the extraordinarily popular talk show host Oprah Winfrey will be leaving her daytime television show for good. Oprah’s show has been on television for 25 years now, and her leaving has had an enormous impact on people every where, including those in several countries (even some without tv sets! – -go figure).
Before leaving, Oprah had a few interviews to complete, one of which was with Brian Stelter of the New York Times (lucky man).
She reminisced with Brian about some of her past shows, and she admits to having a lot of flexibility in choosing the topics, which aided in making her show a hit.
Oprah also reminded everyone that she still has OWN, her new cable network, which is going to have a broader and wider platform than the original show.
At one point Brian told Oprah about his mother who was a longtime fan of the show and asked Ms. Winfrey, what she wanted viewers like his mother to remember, to which Ms. Winfrey replied by quoting a line from Toni Morrison’s ‘Beloved’
“You are your own best thing. It’s you, you… That’s the message. That’s what we’ve been trying to say all these years. No matter what triumphs, defeats, sad times, painful times, whatever you have to go through in life — you are your own best thing.”
During her 25 years, Oprah has helped bring people from different cultures, backgrounds and genders together.
Oprah stated,
“…that she and her team had accomplished what they had set out to do — to let the viewer know that whatever you’re going through, you’re not alone.”
This is exactly what she did, and did it with style, dignity, and grace…the Lady will be missed.
A must read article!
ESL Voices Activities for this article.
Language Skills: Speaking Activity
Level: Low-intermediate
Time: approximately 1 hour.
Materials: none.
Goals: Students will practice speaking skills, and learn about Lady O.
Procedure:
Place students in groups, and have them answer the following questions:
I. Questions for Discussion and Reflection for students:
Who is Oprah Winfrey, and why do so many people like her?
Is there a person similar to Oprah in your country? Describe this person.
If you could have your own talk show, what are some of the topics you’d discuss? Why would you choose these topics?
Would you like to meet with Oprah Winfrey? Explain why.
What three questions would you like to ask her?
By CNN staff: Link to Oprah Bids Farewell in Final Show
Please come back again.
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