Dune ( the book ) is an obvious alegory on Israel in the middle east
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Blender Dumbass👁 31
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I is very funny to me when I'm watching Dune adaptations, that nobody seems to get that "Kwizatz Haderah" is actually קפיצת הדרך in Hebrew. It is even perfectly translated from Hebrew in the book itself as "Jumping the way". קפיצת הדרך is used a lot in Jewish religious folk-tales about very important Rabbis that were so knowledgeable that they could teleport from one town to another, as in jumping the way between them. Often the tales would include somebody who witnessed it by ridding with the Rabbi in a carriage. Perhaps this is a sort allegory in itself. Maybe the Rabbi was just very interesting to talk with, so much so, they would not feel like they dragged through the road. In any case, Jumping the way or קפיצת הדרך is a clear Hebrew word, which is clearly showing something.
The same Kwitzatz Haderah on the language of the desert people, Fremen, is instead Lisan Al Gaib, which is roughly translatable from Arabic لسان الغيب as the tongue of the unseen godlike supernatural power, or something. Or like: the speaking from the gods. As in to say, a prophet.
So here we have Paul, who is from one side קפיצת הדרך and from another لسان الغيب and what does he do? He moves into the desert planet to join the Fremen, but he slowly degenerates into taking the freedom of those Free Men, and becomes their dictator. Without much noticing himself that he did it.
You could say that Atreides represent the Jews, Fremen, the middle eastern Arabs and Harkonnens represent Nazis or something. Or maybe Harkonnens are any evil empire that colonizes and enslaves.
In the real history of the region Britain was instead the colonizer for a long time. And when Jews came to the middle east and established Israel, in the 40s, British were gone for some time before that. It is very similar to how it plays in the book. Harkonnens leave first and then Atreides come to replace them as colonizers, establishing a new sort of state over the planet of Arakis.
More than that, it is known that the middle east is full of natural resources such as oil and gas. Which are very much needed for the modern transportation. And are sometimes used for other purposes too. Making oil and gas very powerful resources to have. In the book, it is replaced by the Spice Melange, a drug that facilitates interstellar travel and other advancements.
Though I don't think Atreides represent Jews. If they were Jews it would suggest that Frank Herbert saw Jews as coming from their home somewhere in Europe. While in reality Jews were ( and still are to some extend ) scattered all over the planet. And קפיצת הדרך is not an Atreides word in the book. It is in fact a word used by the Bene Gesserit, who are political actors spread as a very thin layer in pretty much all cultures in the Dune's universe. Making the Bene Gesserit the Jews. And Atreides the Europeans who helped Bene Gesserit to make a Bene Gesserit controlled state of Arrakis.
Atreides did not survive long on Arrakis. But then Paul Atreides, the Bene Gesserit who is the קפיצת הדרך and who is the لسان الغيب takes control over the Fremen in a very round about, multi generational, politically charged, religious takeover.
And here is the message I believe Herbert is trying to convey: It is true that Bene Gesserit and Atreides and even Fremen suffered from Harkonnens. From Nazis, from the Soviets, from other colonizers. But when Paul takes over Fremen in another round about way of colonizing them, he realizes he is a Harkonnen himself.
Happy Hacking!!!
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