Dune Essay Research Paper Born in Tacoma

Dune Essay, Research Paper

Born in Tacoma, Washington in 1920, Frank Herbert grew up to become a famous writer. He began his career as a journalist, reporting information about World War 2 and he also served in the Navy for a time. Frank studied at the University of Washington in Seattle, where he worked as reporter and editor on the West Coast papers. In 1965 his writing took a turn when he published Dune, his 1965 epic masterpiece, that astounded readers for many years. He had many other books but none where as publicized as Dune. Many of his earlier works included THE DRAGON OF THE SEA, HELLSTORM’S HIVE, and THE DOSADI EXPERIMENT just to name a few. When Dune launched he stopped writing anything else that didn’t have to do with Dune. He started concentrating on the Dune series and years later the Dune series began. Beginning with GOD-EMPEROR OF DUNE, in 1981 and ending with THE WORLDS BEYOND DUNE. Frank Herbert died on February 12, 1986 due to complications of cancer.

The plot of Dune is easy to understand if you take the time and think about what he is trying to get though to you. Duke Leto Atreides has agreed to move his entire family and his rule to a different planet. Planet Caladan, the Dukes old planet, was a paradise full of water and land like our earth. Planet Arrakis or Dune is a vast desert but it is the only place to find spice m?lange. Spice m?lange and addictive drug witch gives the user a limited ability to look into the future plus it prolongs human life. For this reason the Imperium and the Great Houses fight for control of the planet. Leto?s wife Jessica is described as a witch in the whole book. Her teachers the Fremen has taught her to use the voice. The voice can be used to control other people or animals no one can help but do what the user says. Paul, the Dukes son, is well trained in combat and survival but even the best trained in survival would not last a day in the harsh environment. The Dukes family makes it to Dune safely but soon they are ambushed by the arch rivals The House of Harkonnen. Duke Leto is killed but Paul and Jessica escape to the deserts waste lands where they run into Jessica?s teachers the Fremen. The Fremen had lived many years in the dessert and for that reason they adapted. They made special suits that re-use and conserve there body water, they also designed machinery to take water from the atmosphere, but most of all they have found the way to harvest and distill the spice m?lange. Many of years working with the spice they have come to understand it and what effects it has of the wild animals of Dune. The most common in Dune the monstrous sand worms witch raid and destroy the Imperiums harvesters, not by choice but by instinct. The worms detect vibrations and they wonder what they are so they go and try to find out what it is and what it does. Paul is introduced into the Fremen culture, and after many years of studying there way of life he is taken at once it kills the user in a most painful way) that lets him see into the future. After the rite of passage he is called Muad?Dib. Muad?Dib was thought of as a god that would set the planet of Dune free and destroy the spice. Paul now realizes that he is there leader and with them he must take back Dune from The House of Harkonnen. With him as there leader Paul starts a bloody jihad or holy war with The House of Harkonnen and wins. As I read this book I came across many main characters Duke Leto father of Paul and husband of Jessica. Paul son of Duke Leto and son of Jessica destined to free Dune in a jihad. Jessica a witch that lived with the Fremen for the beginning of her life and then married Duke Leto and had a son Paul. Also we have the evil villain Baron Vladimir Harkonnen who kills Duke Leto and forces Paul and Jessica to flee.