Muhammad Ali Hero

Chibuike Ejimadu

Mrs. Johnson

English II – 6th

21 April 2016

Muhammad Ali, Hero of the Century

What comes to mind when asked to define a hero? For most, the first thing that would fly out of their mouth is superman, batman, wonder woman…etc. However, according to the Encyclopedia of World Mythology, “Heroes are generally not all-powerful and immortal beings, able to live forever… Instead, they represent the best of what it means to be human, demonstrating great strength, courage, wisdom, cleverness, or devotion.” In my understanding, a hero is a person who doesn’t want to just benefit themselves but also others around them. I happen to know a man who has carried these traits for a while: Cassius Clay or most people might know him by Muhammad

Ali was very beneficial to other parts of the world, for example, “Ali kept growing and living his beliefs. He helped deliver food to millions in Africa” (Jackson). He saw the famine, a scarcity of food that hit lands across Africa. He didn’t take advantage of the situation to gain attention, but to show support to his fellow African Americans. He didn’t just stop at Africa, according to Jesse Jackson, Ali went to Cuba bringing medical supplies that valued over $1,200,000. While he was in Cuba, he called for an end to embargo, ban on trade with a specific country. Based on Austin, Brad, and William L. Glankler’s article, Ali was also involved in creating the Ali community and economic development corporation in Chicago “to teach job skills to lower income public-housing residents” (Austin). No other boxer could accomplish the tasks that Ali did. Believe it or not, as found in a Hero for Our Times article, during the first gulf war in 1990, Ali had traveled to Iraq in order to meet Saddam Hussein, Iraq’s dictator, and “worked to free over 15 US hostages” (Jackson). Ali showed courage in the charity work he did, making the community around him flourish by the simple accomplishments. Ali didn’t do these good deeds for the fame and glory but did it because he grew up in a harsh

Ali didn’t just want to compete in the ring, he wanted to abolish hatred and make peace in the world. When Ali was eighteen years old, he was asked to attend his first Olympic games in 1960. According to sources, “Ali won an Olympic gold medal in 1960 and later tossed it into a river because he was disgusted by racism in the United States”(Muhammad Ali). Throughout his entire career, he faced racism and discrimination. Being a top boxer he never thought that he would be affected by the effects of racism. When Ali was a young man, a man named Malcolm X picked him up to join the Nation of Islam. The Nation of Islam’s main goal is to improve social and political well-beings of African Americans. Converting to Islam came back to haunt him in the future. When he first went to a restaurant in his hometown they refused to serve him because he wasn’t white. Ali was a fighter, a man who fought harshly in the ring but also a man who has worked nonviolently for peace and justice outside of it. He used his fame and glory to not just fight in the ring, but to fight the economy’s problem. When Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain. He stilled continued to speak publically, emphasizing his hopes changes that he feels should be made to