Tyler Anderson Communication Studies Capstone Dr. Bednar 3/25

Tyler Anderson Communication Studies Capstone Dr. Bednar 3/25/2021 The Constitutive Rhetoric of Alliance within Dune The focus of this project is how constitutive rhetoric works within the alliance between the Atreides and the Fremen in Frank Herbert’s 1965 science fiction epic novel Dune. I specifically examine the alliance between the Atreides and the indigenous Fremen, two major factions in the novel. I argue that the Atreides faction uses constitutive rhetoric to gain a power foothold over their allies during the creation of the alliance by inscribing the Fremen to a narrative where they are subordinate to the Atreides. To examine this in this paper I will take excerpts from the book that describe specific plot points and perform a close reading, situating the different speakers in the positions of constitutive rhetoric, also conducting a postcolonial analysis to point out where elements of the alliances contain a structural power imbalance inherent to the colonial relationship between the two peoples. Alliances, in and outside of Dune, depend on constitutive rhetoric to call into being a unified whole comprised of two separate groups. That is, an alliance can only be an alliance if the two (or more) groups aligning with each other are defined as both separate by themselves and as comprising a larger alliance made from the alignment of the two (or more) groups. But in situations of power imbalance, such as that between colonizer and colonized, this alliance can be a pretense for domination, benefiting one group and subjugating the other. This is accomplished in Dune when Paul places himself as the more powerful of the two in the alliance, essentially above the Fremen, and thus in control of the way the alliance will be called into being rhetorically and of the narrative to which the new audience will be inscribed. The example of Paul Atreides and the Fremen shows us the coalition and inevitable subjugation that is the signature of alliance in an imbalanced relationship of power. Paul uses constitutive rhetoric to form an alliance with the Fremen, but places himself higher on the hierarchical imperial ladder than the Fremen within the alliance and uses the subordinate group for his own aims. My methodology in this project will be to take excerpts of my research object, the themes within Dune that describe the alliance between the Atreides and the Fremen, and perform a close reading and analysis of them. I will especially be looking at the elements of constitutive rhetoric, the hailing, identification, and creation of a new group that follows, and also at the tropes and themes that can be analyzed from a postcolonial perspective. Thus, my method of analysis is a close reading, and my theoretical framework is that of constitutive rhetoric, primarily using the theories of White and Charland. My research will add to the existing scholarly conversations surrounding this field by giving a firm topic through which to examine the constitutive rhetoric of alliance, something I have not found extensive work covering, and by showing the dynamic of power imbalance that can exist in these scenarios using a postcolonial lens. I will conduct the analysis using not only the work of the original theorists but by looking at and incorporating elements of the other contemporary work I have researched that takes different approaches to research objects containing constitutive rhetoric, both historical examples and ones in current media. I will delineate what subject positions each of the characters falls into in the excerpts I will examine, and explain the repercussions of that. Dune: An Overview Dune is lauded by many as “the most important [science fiction] novel” and paved the way for “essentially every epic-scale SF and fantasy series to follow” (SFF180). It is one of the most widely translated science fiction books and has sold nearly 20 million copies, as well as being the “first [science fiction] novel ever to hit #1 on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list” (Dunenovels.com, SFF180). It was not only awarded a Hugo after it was published in 1965 but also honored with the first ever Nebula award, now a hallmark of science fiction accolades (Hugo.com). Dune was Frank Herbert’s opus, and he was still producing content set in the universe of Dune until his death in 1986 (Dunenovels.com). He was influenced by the pulp science fiction authors of his time as well as the foundational authors of science and speculative fiction such as H.G. Wells, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and Jules Verne (Dunenovels.com). But Herbert would surpass even their legacy with his impact on the genre, without which we wouldn’t have major franchises like George Lucas’ Star Wars- whose earliest drafts described a “desert planet, an evil emperor, and a boy with a galactic destiny” and “included warring noble houses and a princess guarding a shipment of something called ‘aura spice’”- clear references to Herbert’s landmark work (Guardian). Herbert and colleagues thought that the overlap was so obvious that they formed a tongue in cheek organization named the “We’re Too Big to Sue George Lucas Society (Guardian).” In the book, the protagonist Paul Atreides makes an alliance with the indigenous peoples of the desert planet of Arrakis (also known as Dune), a colony he inherits by his ducal rights before being violently expelled by the Harkonnens, another powerful family in the intergalactic colonial system who assassinate his father and take control of the planet. Prior to this attack, Paul’s father and advisors established an initial relationship with the indigenous group, called the Fremen, with the intent to use them as a fighting force. After Paul is driven into the desert, he encounters these indigenous peoples, and follows through with his father’s earlier plan to form an alliance with the Fremen. Eventually Paul becomes a kind of spiritual leader for them, as they believe that he is their messiah. This is accomplished primarily by the work of the clandestine Bene Gesserit, a secret order Paul’s mother belongs to, who planted the seeds of a prophecy foretelling a messiah on Arrakis centuries ago. In the event that one of their agents was to find herself stranded on the planet, she could manipulate the local population by using elements of the messianic legend. Though Paul himself is a victim of the colonial system, as the family that has usurped him conspired with the Emperor to strip the Atreides of their holdings, Paul Atreides still represents colonial cultural power as the rightful heir to the planet with powerful connections that ultimately aid him in usurping the Emperor and taking his place as the ultimate symbol of that power. He accomplishes this by forging an alliance with the Fremen that ultimately subsumes them under his self-serving goals, using constitutive rhetoric to create an audience of shared identity that simultaneously valorizes and devalues the Fremen. Paul also controls the planet that serves as the only source of the most valuable resource in the universe, the “spice melange,” which facilitates space travel and serves as a metaphysical allegory for the way oil works in our world. Paul recognizes its value and uses it as a bargaining chip as he wages intergalactic war in much the same way as he uses the Fremen as agents of his own agenda. In the use of their alliance for conquest and the exploitation of Fremen resources in the aim of further domination, Paul Atreides manipulates the alliance and exemplifies the subjugation aspect of alliance between a colonizer and the colonized. Related Work on Dune “Dune landed right at the time that science fiction and the world at large were on the cusp of radical change,” one reviewer writes, where “among the issues engaging public consciousness were environmentalism and the wisdom, or lack thereof, of exploiting Earth’s natural resources with no thought to long term consequences. When these concerns peaked for the first time in the early ’70s with the first major ‘energy crisis,’ Frank Herbert, whose story here is fundamentally all about such short-sighted exploitation, found himself something of a guru among the young, politically motivated, and eco-aware” (SFF180). Because of this, Dune is considered by many to be an early example of ecological fiction, and much of the critical conversation surrounding the novel explores the impact and implications of the world of Arrakis. Past engaging with the fledgling environmental movement, Herbert subverts traditional elements of storytelling as well. Paul Atredies is a protagonist who has everything torn away from him, and in his connection with the indigenous Fremen he opens his eyes to a way of life that is radically different from the one he knew. But though Paul fills the role of the “Chosen One/White Savior archetype”, Herbert chooses not to paint him as a hero as the trope is traditionally treated, but instead chooses to “bury him”, exposing over time the inherent flaws and biases that absolute corrupting power brings about (SFF180). Herbert borrows heavily from Islamic culture to weave Fremen religious beliefs into the narrative. Paul is called “Mahdi'' by the Fremen, the “name of the Islamic savior”, and the name that he is allowed to choose among the Fremen is “Muad’Dib” (SFF180). The Fremen are protecting a resource that they do not have a use for, but that is coveted by every other spacefaring power as the resource (the spice) is a kind of psychedelic substance that can be used to facilitate space travel. This fuel for transportation is an allegory for the oil reserves in the Middle East (SFF180). Contemporary critique of Dune remarks on its continuing relevance through time, with the subsequent oil crisis and conflict in the Middle East.

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