Cassius Clay - analogy

focused on Finny’s own athletic abilities.  Not one boy at Devon high school could beat him, because he was the best.  Like Gene said, “It was just a game.  It was good that Finny could shine at it.”  It is hard to believe Finny is good and continues to be good at so many different sports.   The more he plays sports, the better he becomes.  4  Many athletes think they do not have to try after reaching a certain point in their sports career; however, Finny keeps trying even after he conquers many challengers.  That alone is a great accomplishment.  Breaking the school swim record and being the best at blitzball- these are two examples of how Finny was amazing at sports.            Apart from being an amazing athlete, Finny was a great leader.  B1  For example, he gained many followers.  1  He could talk his way out of any sticky situation.  Gene and Finny were absent for dinner once, so he told Mr. Prud’homme they were preparing for the war.  3  Prud’homme laughed at Finny’s explanation, but he was able to talk he and Gene out of trouble.  Finny also could’ve been in trouble when he wore the Devon school tie as a belt.  A teacher asked him why he was wearing the school tie in such a disrespectful manner.  2  Finny told the teacher that he didn’t have any other belts, and he didn’t want his pants falling down at the dinner table.  He also wore a pink shirt to dinner.  When Mr. Prud’homme confronted him, Finny explained it was for the bombing in central Europe.  Gene et. al were amazed at how Finny “could get away with anything.  I [Gene] couldn’t help envying him that a little, which was perfectly normal.  There was no harm in envying even your best friend a little.”  The fact that Finny could talk his way out of anything was unbelievable; it would be a great skill to have in almost any situation.  B2  Finny also was a great leader.  He created the game blitzball and taught it to other off the top of his head.  The boys at Devon high school went along with the game.  4  If they did something wrong, Finny would stop and correct them; they would learn from their mistakes.  “Stop, stop!” cried Finny.  “Now Leper has just brought out a really important fine point of the game.  The receiver can refuse a pass if he happens to choose to.  Since we’re all enemies, we can and will turn on each other all the time.  We call that the Lepelliar Refusal.”  What made Finny a phenomenal leader was his ability to gain followers.  People cannot lead if there is no one to follow them.  It is always a great ability if a person can gain someone’s trust.  The ability to talk his way out of things and being a leader and gaining followers- these are two characteristics of Finny that made him a good leader.          II  Cassius Clay Jr., commonly known as Muhammad Ali, was an amazing athlete just like Finny.  1A  For example, he was a professional American boxer.  1  Cassius's career began when he was 12 years old.  3  Joe E. Martin, a Louisville police officer, found Cassius fuming over his stolen bike and directed Cassius toward boxing.  4  Cassius began training with Fred Stoner; furthermore, Stoner trained him throughout his amateur career.  2A  Like Finny, Cassius also had many wins and received many awards.  Under Fred's guidance, Cassius won the following: six Kentucky Golden Gloves, two national Golden Gloves titles, an Amateur Athletic Union National Title, and the Light Heavyweight gold medal in the 190 Olympics in Rome.  His record when he finished his amateur career was 100 wins, with 5 losses.  2  Although Cassius was extremely successful, he never let it get to his head.  "Champions aren't made in gyms.  Champions are made from something they have deep inside them - a desire, a dream, a vision.  They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will.  But the will must be stronger than the skill,"  Cassius said.  Bringing a dead sport back to life and achieving many awards- these are two characteristics that made Clay an outstanding athlete.          Cassius Clay was also a leader.  1B  For example, during the Vietnam War, Cassius refused to be drafted.  3  After winning a championship from Sonny Liston in 1964, Cassius revealed that he was a member of the Nation of Islam.  1  This was how Cassius got his famous name, Muhammad Ali.  4  The Nation game him this new name March 6th, 1964; furthermore, they gave him that name with the meaning one who is worthy of praise.  The same year Ali was renamed, The United States army began drafting for the Vietnam War.  When he took the U.S. Armed Forces qualifying test, he failed because of his writing and spellings skills.  However, in early 1966, the tests were revised and Ali passed.  He refused to serve in the United State Army during the Vietnam War because "war is against the teachings of the Holy Qur'an.  I'm not trying to dodge the draft."  Ali also said in 1966: "I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong...They never called me nigger [sic]."  On April 28th, 1967, Ali was to be inducted into the U.S. Armed Forces.  They called his name 3 times, and every time he refused.  That day, the New York State Athletic Commission suspended his boxing license and stripped him of his title.  Ali went to trail two months later; after 21 minutes of deliberation, they found him guilty.  (The judge imposed the maximum sentence.)  The case went to the U.S. Supreme Court after a court of appeals upheld the conviction.  At this time, people were turning against the war, and began to support Al.  Joe Fraizer, who had become the champion in Ali's absence, gave him financial assistance the entire time.  On June 28th, 1971, the Supreme Court reversed his conviction for refusing induction by unanimous decision.  It was amazing how Ali stood up for his religious beliefs, even though it cost him his title and career.  2  Everything he had worked for was taken away in the blink of an eye; but he didn't give in and won the support of thousands.  "I believe in the religion if Islam.  I believe in Allah and peace." Standing up for his religious beliefs- this is an example of how Muhammad Ali was a great leader.           In conclusion, Finny was outstanding at sports; he was the best.  He broke the school swim record, and he was the best athlete at Devon High School.  Cassius Clay was also fantastic at sports.  He was an all American boxer and won many awards.  Finny and Clay were also great leaders.  Finny was able to talk his way out of anything, which gained him respect and followers.  Clay helped bring back a dead sport by trying his hardest and becoming the greatest.  At the end of the day, both Finny and Clay knew that they had to do what felt right, even if that meant taking some risks.  Clay said it best when he said, "He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life."