Becoming Muhammad Ali

Pick two fights from Becoming Muhammad Ali and make an argument about Cassius’s strategy as a fighter within the ring.

Choose three historical allusions that Cassius makes, either to figures like Emmett Till, athletes like Jack Johnson, or musicians like Bo Diddley, and discuss how these influences inform Cassius’s development.

Compare and contrast Cassius’s relationship with each of his parents. How does their support (or lack thereof) affect his success as a boxer?

Granddaddy Herman appears only a few times early in the novel, but he has a lasting effect on Cassius. What is this effect? Write an essay in which you describe Granddaddy Herman’s influence on Cassius.

Cassius projects confidence to those around him, but his voice in the poems reveals that he is not always as confident as he seems. How does Cassius build confidence in himself? What events are critical in shaping his confidence and success?

What does the red bicycle symbolize? If it had not been stolen, how might that have changed Cassius Clay’s trajectory?

How does Cassius’s childhood inform his adult choices? Write an essay in which you choose three instances from Rounds One through Nine and connect them to what you learned about the rest of Cassius’s life in the Final Round.

How does Louisville as a setting shape Cassius’s childhood and aspirations?