47 pages 1 hour read

Frank Herbert

Dune Messiah

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1969

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Essay Topics

1.

Paul compares his empire to Genghis Khan’s Mongol Empire and Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich because of similar widespread bloodshed. Are these comparisons appropriate? How does the depiction of empire in Dune Messiah connect with historical examples?

2.

Despite possessing extremely advanced technology, most systems of belief in Dune Messiah place limits on its use. For example, artificial intelligence is taboo and the Bene Gesserit do not believe in artificial insemination. How does this affect the way technology informs the themes of the novel?

3.

Compare and contrast the motives of the Bene Gesserit, the Spacing Guild, the Bene Tleilax, and the Fremen traitors in conspiring against Paul. Does Herbert portray any group as more or less justified than the others?