Muhammed Ali died in the summer of 2016 amidst a presidential election cycle, a crisis of police shootings of African-American citizens and the first retaliations against officers (Dallas and Baton Rouge). America's entrenched racism and sexism forged ugly political battle lines during this hot summer. The Republican Party nominee tapped white-male anxiety, while the Democratic Party nominee broke a political glass ceiling for women. These struggles for human justice were not new, as the great Muhammad Ali and Lord Byron confronted similar racism and sexism of past eras.
The legacy of Ali, "The Greatest" boxer of all time, has
many similarities to the renowned English Romantic author, Lord Byron. Both men
were skilled poets who developed worldwide fame during their lifetimes, and
used this platform to aggressively expose social injustice within their
respective societies.
Ali and Byron each had impressive early achievements. At age
22, a gifted Muhammad Ali upset the fierce Sonny Liston to win the heavyweight
boxing title, a shock that raised Ali from the slums of Louisville, Kentucky. Lord
Byron was a privileged Baron-heir with a clubbed foot who attended the Harrow
School and Cambridge College. He struck fame at age 24 with the publication of Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, the travel
adventure of a young aristocrat who is disillusioned with shallow social life
and the continual war that supports its pleasures.
Muhammad Ali's early fame led to religious conversion, a
name change from Cassius Clay, refusal to fight in the Vietnam War and bold words
against entrenched racism in 1960's America. "The word 'Islam' means 'peace,'"
Ali said. "The word 'Muslim' means 'one who surrenders to God.' But the press
makes us seem like haters." Ali did not box during the prime of his career (ages
25 to 28) after refusing to serve in the US Army. When his legal appeals were
finally granted in 1974, he returned to the boxing ring and capped his eminence
with a stunning championship victory over the undefeated "big bad ugly monster"
George Foreman, before a stadium crowd of 60,000 in Kinshasa, Zaire and a
worldwide television audience of millions.
Don Juan was the
crowning feat of Lord Byron's life. A galloping lampoon written in ottava rima structure, Don Juan mercilessly satirized the
"Christian chastity" and sexism of early Victorian England, along with the social
figures who supported false norms. In Don
Juan, Victorian stereotypes of women are destroyed in every episode, where
women control their sexuality, dominate kingdoms and exert keen intelligence. Despite
huge sales of Cantos I-V, Byron's publisher refused to release Cantos VI-VIII
because the text was "so outrageously shocking." Established English reviewers
all ignored or panned Don Juan, while
multiple versions of the text sold like wildfire. Byron could not write fast
enough. He rapidly produced four installments (Cantos VI-XVI) for a new
publisher, which likely contributed to his death in 1824 at age 36.
In the early 1800's, mechanization of book printing and paper
manufacture profoundly expanded publishing capacity, producing a worldwide proliferation
of the written word. Byron's fame coincided with this media revolution, just as
Ali rose during an age when television permeated America and the world—the next
monumental shift in world communication. As a result of timing, both men
reached immense audiences, well beyond the scope of their predecessors. In
places like Zaire, Ali became a God-hero, while at home, many critics still
considered him an "uppity negro."
During his visit to Zaire, Ali was impressed by African
pilots, doctors, businessmen, and heads of state—professions and opportunities that
racism restricted in America. He spoke of his admiration of Africans and clearly
articulated the raw frustration of the "Black Power" movement to a mainstream American
white audience. Lord Byron was also disgusted by the social hypocrisy of his
homeland. In fact, he left for a trip in 1816 and never returned to
England. He settled in Italy, leaving Victorian
sexism behind.
As poets, Lord Byron and Muhammad Ali were stylistically similar,
utilizing a playful tone along with expert use of literary devices. Byron packs
his epic poems with allusions to classical Greek and Roman culture, resulting
in a satire of Western Civilization beyond the borders of England. Ali's use of
simile, metaphor, freestyle flow, braggadocio and African griot style
trash-talk ("the Dozens") were all early influences upon modern rap music:
I
done wrestled with an alligator, I done tussled with a whale;
handcuffed
lightning, thrown thunder in jail;
only
last week, I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalized a brick;
I'm
so mean I make medicine sick.
Ali's brash humor opened the hearts of common folk and
aristocrats alike. Once opened, he introduced ideas of human dignity for all
races in American society. Today peace and justice, including racial and sexual
equality, need further implementation. Humanity needs a talented voice like
Ali's. Who is the next bold voice?
Swimmer Simone Manuel and/or gymnast Simone Biles? Who dares to utilize
fame (and expanding social media platforms) to shock the barriers of race and
gender? As Lord Byron noted in the introductory quote to Don Juan, "Difficlie est
proprie communia dicere" (It is difficult to speak about common
society/propriety). This is especially true of societies with entrenched racism
and sexism.
Lee Miller graduated from Cornell University and has taught writing for over 13 years at the secondary and post-secondary levels. This column examines current events through the lens of quality literature.
Santa Fe Reporter