Oprah’s Icon Interviews (Reflection Assignment)

Oprah Winfrey is an icon of global stature, but when she sits down to interview some of the most compelling human beings in popular American culture, the substance and depth of how an icon is defined changes.

For your assignment, you critically viewed the seven icons that Oprah Winfrey interviewed in her 20th Anniversary DVD Collection which was shown during class.

If you were absent, the excerpts of some of the interviews are available via “You Tube,” but I cannot guarantee you that they are the exact interviews from the aforementioned collections. The cover of the 20th Anniversary Collection is on the left, so you may order the DVD, check with libraries, Movie Stop, or Amazon.com.

Winfrey has interviewed many of the icons mentioned numerous times. Also, the photographs in this post are simply that: photo images. They are not links, so please do not furiously “click” them and then email me in frustration.

For your reference, the correct spelling and order of each icon interview are as follows:

Elie Wiesel
Diana Ross
John F. Kennedy, Jr.
Sidney Poitier
Nelson Mandela
Dr. Catherine Hamlin
Lisa Marie Presley

The four purposes of writing as defined in the “Writing Fundamentals” handout you will receive are listed below:

Inform
Entertain
Persuade
Express

Additionally, the three qualities of good writing are:

Fresh Thinking
Sense of Style
Good Organization

Each interview offers an aspect of at least one or more of the above purposes, and some clearly intertwine more than one. As discussed, Introduction to Composition is writing-based and often addresses true, real-life people, things, events that can be documented and/or have been documented. Interviews such as these can later be integrated into your research projects and helps vary your “Works Cited.” You DO NOT need to provide a works cited page for this assignment.

These icon interviews are excellent examples of the lives of people whose history has been documented across a wide spectrum of mediums to include books, video, television, film, the internet, and more.

Just as you will eventually select a research topic on a subject that you are passionately interested in, one of these interviews will have had the same impact on you. Your assignment is to write a reflection (in a passive voice) that addresses the impression the interview had on you.

Some of you will have a frame of reference regarding the icons prior to viewing the vignettes, but inevitably there are many truths revealed and documented sources shared that you would otherwise not have been familiar with. The latter is one of the most valuable aspects of documentation; it preserves information perpetually.

Please follow the guidelines below to complete your assignment:

Select your icon to interview.
Format your assignment according to MLA Guidelines.
Title your paper: Oprah’s Icon Interviews.
EVERY STUDENT’S TITLE WILL BE THE SAME.
Do not seek research beyond the interview by Oprah Winfrey. You are to watch intently and take notes on ALL the icons regardless of which one you choose to write about.
Vary sentence structure and length, use Standard American English, not slang, jargon, and colloquialism. Organize your thoughts.
Assignments are due at the beginning of class.
Your reflection should be. ONE PAGE; TWO PARAGRAPHS (If your narrative extends these specifications and/or you turn in EVEN one sentence stapled to a second sheet of paper, your work will not be graded and you will receive a zero. PLEASE FOLLOW DIRECTIONS).
A common mistake in this assignment is that students’ tend to FORGET to mention “Oprah Winfrey” in their reflective writing. She is integral to the title and interior of your prose as is the mention that you viewed these interviews on her 20th Anniversary DVD Collection.
DUE DATE: FSCJ HYBRID: THURSDAY: 09 October 2014

Link to MLA Guidelines

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

(Please use the example below as a writing example; it is not perfectly formatted in Microsoft Word. You must use your tab to indent each paragraph to a 0.5 tab stop.)

Sara Student

Professor Penny Dickerson

ENG 1102 – Hybrid

09 October 2014

Oprah’s Icon Interviews

Two American Kings are dead. One led the Rock and Roll music industry and the other held the title: King of Pop. Elvis Presley was a legend who also starred in movies like “Jail House Rock.” He also fathered Lisa Marie Presley who is his sole living legacy. Michael Jackson moonwalked into fame with hits like “Thriller” and “Bad.” Both men were American icons attacked by the media. Conversely, they each had fans from Berlin to London to China and Africa. Many don’t remember that Michael Jackson married and unceremoniously divorced the King of Rock’s daughter: Lisa Marie Presley. Both Kings are now dead, both were celebrities, and both knew Lisa Marie better than most, or did they?

Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Lisa Marie is featured on her 20^th Anniversary DVD Collection. Lisa’s life was shrouded in gossip over her weight and marriages including a brief union with Nicholas Cage. One of the most profound moments in the interview occurred when her mother, Pricilla Presley, joined the stage. Oddly, Lisa morphed into a little girl who defied her mother’s dreams and pursued her own music career. Winfrey has effectively pried intimate details from her subjects and said she was “fascinated” by Lisa Marie. This interview didn’t disappoint and according to Winfrey, “The hour flew by.” Much has been assumed about Lisa Marie Presley. Moreover, many positives were revealed including her generous contributions to charity.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me @ pennydickersonwrites@gmail.com.

Here’s to good writing!

Professor Dickerson

Penny Dickerson