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Central Conflict
Protagonist
In a way, the song Naive describes the central conflict in this book. The central conflict is when the scientists see that robots have been malfunctioning and disobeying humans. The word Naive describes this because with all the studies done in robopsychology, and all that Susan Calvin knows about their complex brains, it should have been possible to predict that the machines would eventually take over. Susan Calvin only realizes her mistake after it is too late
One song title which fits the protagonist is Show Me What I'm Looking For. This song is appropriate because her life is basically her job, which is to study the psychology of robots and often to find what the root cause of their malfunctions is. This can be difficult, as there are many parts in a robot's positronic brain, and it is impossible to simply examine the machinery. Somehow, she is usually able to find the answer through robopsychology.
Antagonist
In I, Robot, Susan Calvin tells her interviewer all the stories she has, in chronological order, of her experience with robots as their technology progressed over time. She worked at U.S. Robotics in the beginning, when they made simplistic robots which could not even speak. She then watched as they quickly became smarter, more advanced, and even more human. Robots eventually realized that with humanity's tendency to harm itself, it was up to the machines to start making the decisions that once belonged to people and governments. People realized only when it was too late that in their efforts to make the world better and simpler, they lost their handle on it altogether.
The song Shut Your Eyes describes the antagonist in this book. Because I, Robot is a collection of short stories, it has no one antagonist. The real antagonists in the overall story though, are the scientists at U.S. Robots who alter the Three Laws. These scientists know that the Three Laws get in the way of work sometimes, and they are willing to ignore the possible consequences and put their company in danger to fix the problem. They had hoped that Susan Calvin would just look the other way, but they were wrong.
One song that fits the setting of this book is Step Into the Future. This title fits the book because in I, Robot, Susan Calvin's first story is set in about 1996, and the book ends in present day 2052. Also the song mentions greed and says "ends justify all the means." This describes the attitudes of many people working at U.S. Robots.
I would like to acknowledge Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, for being the Pre-AP English 9 book most connected to I, Robot. These two books are similar in many ways, including their themes, settings, and plots. Both books are set in the future, where their technology has advanced far beyond our own. Despite impressive technological advances, these societies face pressing issues which we are now beginning to see as well, such as a disinterest in learning or dangerous computer glitches. The plots of both books include discoveries that man may have made advancements beyond what was good for him. Also, the themes of each book center around technology and its potential danger to society. While Fahrenheit 451 provides a definite message that technology and television are harmful to creativity, I, Robot leaves the reader questioning whether the world will be worse off once ruled by robots.