What is wrong with treating oprah winfrey as the ultimate symbol of the american dream? she was born into a fairly wealthy family. she represents the exception rather than the rule. she has recently lost most of her resources and isn't particularly well off. many other people have achieved greater success after starting with less. her family might not have had much money but did have social connections that her with her career?

The correct answer is that she represents the exception rather than the rule.
What Oprah did is amazing - she created her own empire out of nothing and for that, she should be commended. However, what she did is rare - not many people get to experience the same things she did or manage to achieve as much as she did. Therefore, she is an exceptional example of how a person can succeed, which is why she cannot be a good representative of the American dream. 

The three sociological perspectives include the beginner’s mind, culture shock, and the sociological imagination