Muhammad Ali: Consious Objector
Though Ali won the gold medal that the Rome Olympics in 1960, at the time experts weren't impressed by his boxing skills. His head, eyes wide, seemed to float above the action. Rather than the traditional slipping a punch it was Ali's habit to sway back, bending at the waist. His tactics appalled the experts, the reaction Ali craved. Ali's self-promoting behavior didn't impress any of the experts either. Muhammad wasn't even phased by the negative publicity, in fact he relished the attention and the fans ate it up. I believe Ali and Anitgone have quite a bit in common. Antigone was an extremely proud and stubborn woman, when she made a decision she was bent on it. Ali was probably one of the most proud athletes I can think of. He publically announced he was the best, and nothing could change his mind, and no one could prove him wrong. Antigone knew that what she was doing was leagally, Ali knew that society would have problems accepting his behavior, but the believed in themselves, and initially others did as well. Society also had problems with Ali's association with the muslims and giving up his "slave name" Cassius Clay for Muhammad Ali, the poetry and quips like "If Ali says a mosquito can pull a plow, don't ask
Oscar Wilde once suggested that you kill the thing you love, but I think in Ali and Antigone's case, it was the reverse: what they loved, in a sense, killed them. The man who was one of the most loquacious of athletes now says almost nothing, moves slowly through the crowds and signs autographs. He was once denied an autograph by his idol Sugar Ray Robinson, and vowed he would never turn anyone down. Antigone's love for her brother and passion to do what is right to respect him, inevitable killed her as well. Much like Antigone, the public had a hard time accepting Ali as well. Barely anyone attended his fight for the heavyweight championship against Sonny Liston. The public was cheering for Liston, a Mob-controlled thung, to take care of the "lippy upstart. Liston replied, saying he was going to put his fist so far down his opponent's throat, he was going to have trouble removing it. Ali was asked on a television show what he would have done with his life if he had any choice. He admitted, after an awkward pause, he couldn't think of anything other than boxing. Boxing is all he had ever wanted or wished for. He couldn't imagine anything else. The leave-taking of great athletes can impart incredible memoreis, Muhammad Ali's wasn't exactly a leave-taking, b
Some common words found in the essay are:
Antigone Ali's, Rome Olympics, Atlanta Olympics, Muhammad Ali, Ali Anitgone, Liston Mob-controlled, George Foreman, Supreme Court, Ali Antigone's, War American,
Approximate Word count = 866
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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