Story Review of A Mason-Dixon Memory

The story A Mason-Dixon Memory by Clifton Davis is about two boys who both face racism in their life and retell it to an audience. Dondre and Clifton are the two people who attend an event where they get to talk about their memories. Dondre is a golf player whose team goes to a part of the US where they were invited to play in a golf tournament. When the team gets there, Dondre is black so he is not allowed to play so the rest of the team withdraws from the tournament. A similar situation meets Clifton whose class goes on a field trip to DC where he meets the Mason Dixon line and cannot go to where the class is going. He worked hard to be able to come on this trip because his family didn’t have the money to send him so he had to work for a long time until he made up the money for the field trip. His best friend decides to stay with him which causes a chain reaction of kids to all do the same. This story explores the themes about racism along with civil rights, history, and friendship.

Civil rights refer to the principle of safeguarding individuals' rights regardless of the circumstances. Racism directly undermines civil rights because it supports the idea that one race or color is better than the other which causes that “superior” race to attack other “inferior” races. In the story, racism is blatant for both of the black kids. Dondre faces racism by not being able to play golf with his team. This shows that the rest of his team can play but he uniquely can't because of the color of his skin. This also supports the idea of racism that is still a big thing even in the modern world and was even more blatant back then. Another example is Clifton who saved up for months to be able to afford a trip to DC with the rest of his class but he can't go to the capital because of the Mason-Dixon line that stretches between two states as a kind of border. This line is another form of racism that blocks black people from traveling across borders. Civil rights play a crucial role in maintaining the safety and dignity of all individuals and prevent ideas such as racism from emerging.

A significant aspect of United States history is the discrimination faced by people because of their skin color. This history continues to impact many people today, much like it does for the main character in this story. Dondre is a grown man now but when he was young, he went to a golf tournament with his team but he wasn’t allowed to play because he was black. At the time he was telling people about his memories but if we go farther back, there was slavery that affected people. For Clifton, he experienced similar racism as a child but this was related to the Mason-Dixon line that was established in the 18th century that affected when he was young. This line was a strong supporting subject of racism towards black people. Even when he grew up and is the adult he is shown in the story, he probably still faces racism. Even in the present day, racism and discrimination remain pervasive issues that affect individuals and communities around the world. 

Friendship is an important part of life that provides support during challenging times, regardless of one's race. These friends may not stay with you forever but can still have a big impact on your life. For Dondre, his golf teammates were on his side when they had to make a big decision whether to play without him, or not play at all. This shows the strong friendship between the people there that were willing to sacrifice a tournament to support their friend. Even though he's black and they're white, they did not discriminate against him and supported him for what he was, not how he looked. For Clifton, when he went to DC with his classmates, he couldn’t go to a certain place because he was black and the Mason-Dixon line was there. His best friend stayed with him even though he could’ve just gone so this caused a lot of other kids to stay also. Friends look out for each other sometimes even putting their own interests aside when needed.

The story A Mason-Dixon Memory by Clifton Davis is about two black kids named Dondre and Clifton who both get to talk about their memories related to racism. Civil rights is the fight against racism because racism discriminates against people of color but civil rights is the idea that everyone is born equal. Another theme is history which is more specifically about slavery and the Mason-Dixon line in this story. The two kids are faced with this history and it still affects them as kids. Finally, friendship helped them overcome these challenges because their friends supported them when they had to sacrifice something for each other and without them, they would not be telling the world about their memories. Overall, racism plays a big factor in the plot of this story and has been a big part of history overall in the world.