About the Function of Flashback

A flashback is a literary device that interrupts the storyline to tell the reader about past events. This is in order to give context and information that is needed for the story. In both the stories we are talking about, they both have flashbacks within. In the mason dixon memory, two black kids go to an event and recall their memories of facing racism as children. In the sand castle, a grandmother brings her kids to the beach to make sandcastles based off of what she remembered as a child. The story starts with her recalling a memory of going to the beach with her parents. This motivates her to take her kids to the beach even though it is dangerous in the future. The flashbacks in the first story was when one of the kids faced racism on a field trip that was close to the Mason Dixon line. The second boy could not enter a golf tournament because he was black. In the sand castle, the grandmother has flashbacks about when she was a child and playing with her parents. Flashbacks highlight not only the similarities and differences between events but also their deeper impact on readers, evoking strong emotions and fostering a greater understanding of the characters.

Flashbacks can reveal the similarities in the same kind of events that happened between past and present. While they provide valuable context and insights to the narrative, the story can still progress without them, as the theme of the story still can develop. In a mason dixon memory, one of the boys faces racism as a child and the other faces one when he is a teenager. Even though they are different ages, they still face similar racism being rejected from going somewhere or doing something. One cant go to a place on his field trip because of the mason dixon line while another cant enter a golf tournament because of the color of his skin. Another similarity is friendships that is shown in the other story A sand castle where the grandmother's bond with her children strengthens. The grandmother remembers how when she was a child she would bond with her parents over simple things and she does this with her children by going to the beach and building a sand castle. Even though flashbacks are not a necessary part of a story, it can still be very helpful for the author to give the reader further and deeper understanding. The similarities between the story and memory of a mason dixon memory is that there is still racism currently but the friendship is still alive. And in the sand castle, the beach is a similarity between the memory and the future and so are the sand castles that they build. Similarities can be shown through t flashbacks that can give us a better view of the whole story and deeper understanding of the theme.

Differences can be highlighted through flashbacks, revealing contrasts between the past and present. They showcase changes in the environment, location and the people involved. In the mason dixon memory, one of the people is a kid on a field trip while the other was more professional like golf and he was not as young as the first kid. They both tell their memories from their own perspective when they were young. This shows that racism can apply to all ages and all time long at different places. The age doesn’t matter because the person being racist just sees them as black people no matter where they are. In a Sand castle the grandmother has flashbacks about when she was a child and the sun didn’t cook the earth yet but now, the earth is dry and the people have to wear protective clothing to make sure they don't get hurt. Another difference is how the grandmother as a child bonded with her parents but the kids now are bonding with the grandparent. Although these events happened a long time ago, the differences are still there and being re-enacted by the kids and the grandma. These differences are not that easy to spot specifically in the story but flashbacks can help us see them more clearly.

Even though flashbacks in stories may not seem that important in the real world, these stories along with the flashbacks can have further impacts than we realize. Flashbacks are a key part to show the difference between the future and the past and what we have done. In a Mason Dixon Memory, when the speakers were just kids, they faced racism but even today there is racism. This shows the urgency for reform in the current world and the little change that has happened as the kids grew up. Not only does this story show the urgency to get rid of racism, it also shows the value of friendship. The boys relied on their friends when they were kids and even as adults, friendship is still valued and cherished now, just like before. In the other story, a sand castle, global warming has destroyed everything in the future in just three generations which also shows the urgency to stop or try to slow down global warming.  If this doesn’t happen, this story could become a harsh reality. Not only does global warming destroy the earth, it also destroys nature with its heat. The impact of most of these stories shows the urgency to address current issues so it doesn’t get out of hand later as shown in the flashbacks.

Flashbacks is a type of literary device that has a deeper meaning than giving the reader context about past events. It has a further impact and also shows the similarities and differences in the stories. In A mason dixon memory, the similarity is how both the kids faced racism and were blocked from doing something that normal people should be able to do. In a sand castle, the differences were blatant with the help of the flashbacks. In the past, the sun wasn't harming the earth that much but in the future where global warming has had severe consequences and destroyed nature while forcing people to wear protective clothing. In conclusion, flashbacks have further meaning than what might be shown on the surface,highlighting ongoing issues like racism and the urgent need to address global warming.