All the Troubles of the World

To me, "All the Troubles of the World", is another one of those short stories that leave my mind loitering around a moot topic. After having read this short story, I remembered two movies with a somewhat similar plot and conflict, "Eagle Eye" and "I, Robot," which both feature robots having a sense and will of their own minds. Then I discovered that the author of "I, Robot" and "All the Troubles of the World" was the same! This made me think about what theme this author was trying to depict. In both stories, the robots are both sentient, so I think that the theme has to do with being sentient. Because these robots were sentient, they had perception of feelings and human emotions. In this short story, "All the Troubles of the World", the title gives a great hint on the theme. If you load all the troubles of the world on the back of a person who has emotions and feelings, no matter what the capacity of their knowledge and intelligence, it becomes stress and pressure. So relied and depended upon it became, that people even doubted their own family with comments like, “Geez, Mom, Multivac doesn’t make mistakes.” With all the trouble and problems of the world, I think there was too much pressure on Multivac, which caused it to attempt suicide.

When I come to think of it, Isaac Asimov, has a great amount of creativity. How could someone ever imagine robots being sentient, which later even causes them to attempt suicide! Stories that feature its settings in the future sometimes displays the view that the author has on human beings. Almost like H.G. Wells’ “The Time Machine”, I think this short story also has a similar prediction of the future. Becoming lazy and depending on a resource too much. Mulitvac becomes essential to the running of government and economy, rather than the work of humans.

Poem To Ms Hanock from Charlotte

Miss Hanock was an effervescent spring

It overflowed with rapture and enabled visitors to flourish in its environ

Encompassed by a pompous display of vibrant flowers and ferns

Its comely appearance welcomed everyone and encouraged them to replenish their minds and submerge into a world of joy

Ebullient and vivacious, you brought zeal to the world of literature in me,

You were Garrulous yet brilliant and obliged to regale the students through education

With the ability to transform banality into an exhilarating echelon,

You infused my empty notes with spate amounts of knowledge

Despite attempts to care for and enlighten me, I became caught up with the importance of belonging and reputation

If only I had realized earlier, I would have been more prejudice

The previous puerile actions and behavior I treated you with imbues me with remorse

It breaks to me the lack of sincerity I showed to you

But even without the fire, my passion for metaphors continues to glow like ember

Upon being given another chance, I would revoke the distance I held between us with integrity

You are my inspiration and all means of literature

I miss you Ms. Hanock and I will never forget you

 

Open Letter

To: The People of Pleasant Street

             Ripping up my rose bed- wasn’t that a bit too far? It is beyond my ken when people become irritated about good advice. We Strangeworth’s have inhabited this town for two generations. My grandfather built the lumber mill which became essential to the development of this town. I believe that we have the right to make sure that this town does not deviate. If I see a malefactor or an error in our society, I am going to inform those who are responsible. Some of you may be upset that I sent anonymous letters instead of discussing it directly. But being anonymous helps me express myself clearly in an organized manner. It also allows me to involve myself in matters where I ordinarily wouldn’t.

             I understand that you may have been offended, but it is still good advice. Because we Strangeworth’s have been here for a long time, it is lucid and easy to comprehend and avoid the problems that have previously caused conflict in our peaceful community. For example, parenting issues. If I see a child being overly appeased, I am going to suggest to the parents that perhaps they should be harder on the child. If children grow up expecting luxury and opulence, our future society is likely to be self-centered and corrupt. There are also other examples such as theft and relationships. Husbands should never be “running around.” We Strangeworth’s have seen many difficulties in our town. Therefore, we have experience and know which solutions work best.

             Some fools may have overreacted when they discovered that their personal matters were being monitored and corrected, but I was only telling the truth. Others may say that being anonymous is wrong, but what would you do if you had to tell them about a fault or an infringed rule? People who overreact to my letters are simply naïve.

             Everything I did was for the benefit and advantage of our community. I would never intentionally interfere. Perhaps I should not have been anonymous, but there was no other way. Some of you,(especially the fools who disoriented my rose garden) may no longer want my advice. I would have thought that it was appreciated. Therefore in the future, I will keep myself to myself. From now on, if you want anymore advice from the Strangeworth’s, you will have to come and ask me in person.

Sincerely,

Adel Strangeworth