ISU#2(ITSASTINKER)

In a time where clichés like timeless, spectacular and masterpiece seem to be over used, “Dune” stands out as one of the only true masterpieces in science fiction. This pioneering work, written by Frank Herbert in 1965 captivated every pair of eyes that found their way to its pages with its incredibly intricate world of interplanetary politics and action packed combat.  Herbert has been hailed as a genius for thinking up one of the most fully thought out worlds in literature, as he should be. However, there are many examples of Herbert borrowing socio-economic themes and events, as well as theories from the past 2000 years.

 

The first piece of evidence signifying that Frank Herbert’s concept for Dune borrowed from reality is his use of Islamic motifs and Arabic phrases from the Islamic world. In Islam, the jihad is directly translated as “the struggle”. This struggle could strive to accomplish any number of things, including self betterment, fighting temptation, spreading and defending Islam, as well as fighting against oppression. In the book, Paul makes reference to Jihad as an internal struggle.

 

 

Here was the unborn jihad, he knew. Here was the race consciousness that he had known once as his own terrible purpose. […] And Paul saw how futile were the efforts of his to change any smallest bit of this. He had thought to oppose the jihad within himself, but the jihad would be. His legions would rage out from Arrakis even without him. They needed only the legend he already had become.

                             

                                   (Herbert, 482)

 

The unborn jihad refers to an internal struggle in Paul’s mind. When he talks about his legions raging out from Arrakis, he is talking about an actual armed struggle against the Harkonnen house and the Padishah emperor’s oppression of the Fremen.

 

Herbert makes another nod to Islamic culture in the Fremen titles he gives to Paul Atriedes. An example of one of these titles is Mahdi. In Fremen messianic legend, the word Mahdi is translated roughly to “the one who will lead us to paradise”. In Islam the title translates into “the divinely guided one”. According to Shia Muslim beliefs, one of the signs of the coming Mahdi is the assassination of “a pure soul”. In the book, the pure soul is the Duke Leto Atriedes, and the Mahdi is young Paul emerging to eventually lead the Fremen to “paradise”

 

Another title that Paul adopts as a member of the Fremen is Muad’Dib. In Arabic, the word mu’addib translates to ‘educator’. Herbert essentially just moved the apostrophe over two spaces to the right. In the glossary of the novel, Herbert provides the following definition for Muad’Dib:

 

MUAD’DIB: the adapted kangaroo mouse of Arrakis, a creature associated in the Fremen earth spirit mythology with a design visible on the planet’s second moon. This creature is admired by the Fremen for its ability to survive in the open desert

                                       (Frank, 524)

 

Later on, Stilgar describes why it was a wise decision for Paul to choose this name:

 

Muad’Dib is wise in the ways of the desert. Muad’Dib creates his own water. Muad’Dib hides from the sun and travels in the cool night. Muad’Dib is fruitful and multiplies over the land. Muad’Dib we call ‘instructor-of-boys’. That is a powerful base on which to build your life, Paul-Muad’Dib, who is Usul among us. 

                                       (Frank, 307)

 

In the above quote, Stilgar refers to Paul-Muad’Dib (which was, of course, shortened later on to simply Muad’Dib) as “Usul among us”. In the book the Fremen translation of Usul was ‘the base pillar’. In Arabic, the word usul is translated loosely into “Principles”. One’s principles, of course, act as if they are ‘base pillars’ in terms of that person’s actions.

 

Herbert also makes referance to ancient Roman civilization. Much like the Padishah Empire in the book, The Roman Empire was a sprawling network that controlled most, if not all, of the wealth and power at the time. It was one of the largest empires in history at around 5 million square miles. The Empire fell at about 476 A.D (Eastern Empire) because of many reasons, one of the chief reasons being the rise of non-pagan, monotheistic organized religions (such as Christianity and Islam). In “Dune” it is easy to see the parallels between the Padishah Empire and the Roman Empire. In the book, the Padishah Empire is not necessarily overthrown, but there is a major change in leadership and a radical change in the way that the empire is governed (in terms of philosophy etc.). This changing of the guard leads to the effective abolishment of the Empire 3,500 years later with the assassination of Paul’s son, the god emperor Leto II.

 

In addition to Roman referances, Herbert also aludes to Biblical events and characters. For example, Liet-Kynes can easily be equated to John the Baptist. In the Bible John the Baptist is a major religious figure who was at the forefront of a baptismal movement at the Jordan River. John led this movement in the belief that a divine apocalypse would soon give Israel back to the Jews from the Romans. While St. John did a good job of starting the movement, he was killed after the emergence of Jesus Christ as a spiritual leader. Jesus followed through with John’s goals and eventually fulfilled them, albeit posthumously through his followers. In “Dune” Liet-Kynes (John the Baptist) was the leader of the Fremen (Jews) and was leading the movement to terraform the harsh desert planet of Arrakis (Israel) into a lush, temperate paradise. In order to accomplish this goal however, the Fremen had to have been freed from the oppressive rule of the Harkonnen house (the Roman Empire). Although Liet-Kynes did a good job of orchestrating this movement, he was killed shortly before the emergence of Paul (Jesus Christ) as a spiritual leader. Paul gives Arrakis back to the Fremen and eventually fulfils Liet-Kynes goal of making the planet more hospitable.

 

Another similarity between the world of Dune and the real world is that on Arrakis there is a substance that is extremely rare (so rare, in fact, that it can only be found on Arrakis), dangerous to attain and is essential for the traveling of long distances (in terms of the universe). Today there is a substance that is getting rarer, can be very dangerous to attain and is essential for the traveling of long distances (in terms of the earth). The substance in the book is the spice (mélange), and the substance in today is crude oil.  

 

Arrakis ... Dune ... wasteland of the Empire, and the most valuable planet in the universe. Because it is here — and only here — where spice is found. The spice. Without it there is no commerce in the Empire, there is no civilization. Arrakis ... Dune ... home of the spice, greatest of treasure in the universe. And he, who controls it, controls our destiny.

                     (Frank Herbert’s Dune)

 

 

 

 

 

“He, who controls it, controls our destiny”. This quote easily could be interpreted as Herbert speaking directly to reader about the situation that we are in, present day. In the book the Combine Honnete Ober Advancer Mercantiles (C.H.O.A.M), combined with the spacing guild control the very economy of the entire universe. C.H.O.A.M is the corporation that controls the trading of all substances in the known universe, including the spice. In order for C.H.O.A.M orchestrate the trades that it does, it must employ the services of the Spacing Guild. The Spacing Guild is the entity that provides the means of transportation of the traded materials from planet to planet, system to system. As we can see, this is a vicious circle because the pilots from the Spacing Guild need to have lots of spice in order to see the future and to know which way to steer their cargo. Considering the above pieces of information, one can see that the universal economy is organized as such: the universal economy is controlled by the C.H.O.A.M and the spacing guild and the C.H.O.A.M and the spacing guild are controlled by the supply of mélange, therefore the global economy is controlled by the supply of mélange (in other words, controlled by the person who controls the supply of mélange).

 

Today, those who control the supply of crude oil to the rest of the world have a great amount of control over the entire society. A great example of this is that the oil companies can raise the price of gasoline to obscene prices and still sell just as much of it, because it is essential for most people getting to work, for emergencies, for generally traveling distances that are impractical on foot.  

 

Another possible parallel that one could draw between the Dune world and the real world is the similarities between the present day struggle between the Israelis/Palestinians and the situation on Dune, with the struggle between the Fremen/House Harkonnen. In real life, the people of Palestine are being oppressed by the Israeli government (which surrounds their country), physically, psychologically and fiscally.  

 

The loss of lives is significant: 700 Palestinian civilians have died since September 2000. Yet we hear little of the loss of livelihoods. Almost all Palestinians live a life of pervasive indigence compounded further by the latest violence. Palestinian incomes have plummeted to a twentieth of the average Israeli income. Four-fifths of those living in Gaza have fallen below the poverty line, and more than half subsist on UN handouts. One Israeli economist quoted anonymously in The Economist proclaims, “Frankly, we are strangling them.”

 

(http://www.dartmouth.edu/~thepress/index.php?vol=2&iss=4)

In the book, the Fremen are being oppressed by the House Harkonnen and the entire Padisha Empire, just as the Palestinians are being oppresed by the Israeli government. For historical reasons, the Israeli government felt that they could take Palestinian land and were given the blessing to do so by the United Nations. In the book "Dune" :

 

[…] Two things from Arrakis, then, Rabban: income and a merciless fist. You must show no mercy here. Think of these clods as what they are—slaves envious of their masters and waiting only the opportunity to rebel. Not the slightest vestige of pity or mercy must you show them […] don’t waste the population; merely drive them into utter submission. You must be a carnivore, my boy. [Ellipses mine]

                                  

                                  (Frank, 239-240)

 

 

 

In the book  "Dune"ther are many examples of Frank Herbert borrowing socio-economic themes, events and theories from through out history. Herbert uses Arabic and Islamic themes and mottifs and draws parallels between the Padisha and Roman Empires. He also makes referance to Biblical characters and events in the comparison between Liet-Kynes and John the Baptist. His sci-fi masterpiece also has a parallel to current events. Just as the world in "Dune" had a dependance and an obsession with melange, our world has a dependance and obsession with crude oil the books  between melange. It is these parallels that makes "Dune" such an intresting read. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 Selected referances

Herbert, Frank. Dune. New York: Burkley publishing, 1965. "Arrakis ." Wikipedia 7/11/2008 15 Dec 2008 "The Banality of Oppression in Palestine." The Dartmouth free press7/11/2001 15 Dec 2008 . "5526 Palestinians Killed by IOF in past 8 Years." Palestine News Agency 6/10/2008 15 Dec 2008 .