How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #1
the time right inside a place
so wrong it was ready. (2–3)
If there was ever a time to stand up to racial injustice, that would be 1955. If there was ever a place it was Montgomery, Alabama. Racial inequality was particularly prevalent here, and many people (including Parks) had had about enough of that.
Quote #2
its dream of a bench
to rest on (5–6)
This sounds like a pretty modest dream. Who cares about being able to rest on a bench, really? But because of what we know about Parks's refusal to get up from her seat on the bus, we know that this dream is representative of a bigger dream for racial equality.
Quote #3
Doing nothing was the doing: (7)
In a time of racial crisis, doing nothing doesn't seem like the most admirable thing to do, but Dove is just toying with us a bit. She means not giving up her seat was the act of protest.
Quote #4
carved by a camera flash. (9)
The mere fact that Parks was getting her picture taken—by a news outlet, perhaps (not TMZ though)—was a huge step toward racial equality. If her protest was gaining visibility, it probably motivated others to act too.
Quote #5
when they bent down to retrieve
her purse (11–12)
With the history of racial inequality in the U.S. there was a feeling that African Americans were supposed to be subservient to white Americans. This scene, where someone (possibly a white person) is bending down to retrieve Parks' purse, shows that the racial dynamic might be shifting.