Previous
Characters
A Black man living in Los Angeles, on March 3, 1991, Rodney King was apprehended by officers of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) following a high-speed chase. Upon apprehension, he was beaten by four officers, Officer Theodore C Briseno, Sergeant Stacey C. Koon, Officer Lawrence M. Powell, and Officer Timothy E. Wind, resulting in extreme, life-altering injuries. The officers were charged with violating King’s civil rights, yet at the conclusion of King’s Simi Valley trial on April 29, 1992, the jury issued a not guilty verdict for all four men. The verdict generated massive outrage among the public and incited the Los Angeles riots, which resulted in nearly 60 deaths, thousands of injuries and arrests, and the destruction of many homes and businesses. While Rodney King is very much at the center of the play, he has no monologue of his own and materializes only through the voices of others. King’s aunt, Angela King, recalls her nephew as a young boy in an effort to humanize him amid an onslaught of media depictions that she believes have vilified and misrepresented him. King’s presence appears, as well, through the voices of other characters whose lives were impacted by the riots, or who have had similar experiences with police brutality.
Rodney King Quotes in Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992
The Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 quotes below are all either spoken by Rodney King or refer to Rodney King. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Where the Water Is
Quotes
“You took upper-body-control holds away from us.
Now we’re really gonna show you what you’re gonna get,
with lawsuits and all the other things that are associated with it.”
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Indelible Substance
Quotes
“No.”
I said, “We have to stay here
and watch
because this is wrong.”
Your Heads in Shame
Quotes
I mean, the jurors as a group, we tossed around:
was this a setup of some sort?
We just feel like we were pawns that were thrown away by the
system.
War Zone
Quotes
As far as I’m concerned,
nobody is better than me,
I’m not better than anybody else.
People are people.
Black, white, green, or purple, I don’t care,
but what’s happening in South Central now,
I think they’re taking advantage.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Bubble Gum Machine Man
Quotes
This Reginald Denny thing is a joke.
It’s joke.
That’s just a delusion to the real
problem.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
The Unheard
Quotes
riot
is the voice of the unheard.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Trophies
Quotes
Because Denny is white,
that’s the bottom line.
If Denny was Latino,
Indian, or black,
they wouldn’t give a damn
they would not give a damn.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Screw Through Your Chest
Quotes
Is it the truth of Koon and Powell being guilty
or is it the truth of the society
that has to find them
guilty in order to protect itself?
Get the entire Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 LitChart as a printable PDF.
Rodney King Quotes in Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992
The Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 quotes below are all either spoken by Rodney King or refer to Rodney King. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Where the Water Is
Quotes
“You took upper-body-control holds away from us.
Now we’re really gonna show you what you’re gonna get,
with lawsuits and all the other things that are associated with it.”
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Indelible Substance
Quotes
“No.”
I said, “We have to stay here
and watch
because this is wrong.”
Your Heads in Shame
Quotes
I mean, the jurors as a group, we tossed around:
was this a setup of some sort?
We just feel like we were pawns that were thrown away by the
system.
War Zone
Quotes
As far as I’m concerned,
nobody is better than me,
I’m not better than anybody else.
People are people.
Black, white, green, or purple, I don’t care,
but what’s happening in South Central now,
I think they’re taking advantage.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Bubble Gum Machine Man
Quotes
This Reginald Denny thing is a joke.
It’s joke.
That’s just a delusion to the real
problem.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
The Unheard
Quotes
riot
is the voice of the unheard.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Trophies
Quotes
Because Denny is white,
that’s the bottom line.
If Denny was Latino,
Indian, or black,
they wouldn’t give a damn
they would not give a damn.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Screw Through Your Chest
Quotes
Is it the truth of Koon and Powell being guilty
or is it the truth of the society
that has to find them
guilty in order to protect itself?
