Fate vs free will
Savannah Ringrose
Ms.Gatian
English Composition 1
October 28, 2013
Fate .VS. Free Will
Response 4 Prompt: Dune deals with several problematic issues (such as colonialism, the status of women, fate vs. free will, and what constitutes “heroism”). Choose an issue that you would like to explore and close read a passage that pertains to that issue. 1-2 Pages, double-spaced. One of the more distinctive aspects of Dune’s environment is the existence of clairvoyance, or knowledge about events that have not yet occurred. The mystical ability of certain human beings to see into the future brings elements of fantasy into the novel. In Dune, Paul is focused upon because of his roles as the son on the Duke and as a Bene Gesserit, and as a Bene Gesserit he has the ability of clairvoyance. The question is, is Pauls’ clairvoyance playing into his free will or his fate? “Muad'Dib could indeed, see the Future, but you must understand the limits of this power. Think of sight. You have eyes, yet cannot see without light. If you are on the floor of a valley, you cannot see beyond your valley. Just so,
Muad'Dib could not always choose to look across the mysterious terrain. He tells us that a single obscure decision of prophecy, perhaps the choice of one word over another, could change the entire aspect of the future. He tells us "The vision of time is broad, but when you pass through it, time becomes a narrow door." And always, he fought the temptation to choose a clear, safe course, warning "That path leads ever down into stagnation."
-from "Arrakis Awakening" by the Princess Irulan”
Paul’s clairvoyance gives him control. By knowing the future, Paul can shape events in the present to attain the results he desires. Of all his powers, clairvoyance is perhaps the most useful, as well as the most terrifying. Paul feels that his clairvoyance is both a blessing and a curse. He is concerned about having too much control over people, such as the Fremen,
Ms.Gatian
English Composition 1
October 28, 2013
Fate .VS. Free Will
Response 4 Prompt: Dune deals with several problematic issues (such as colonialism, the status of women, fate vs. free will, and what constitutes “heroism”). Choose an issue that you would like to explore and close read a passage that pertains to that issue. 1-2 Pages, double-spaced. One of the more distinctive aspects of Dune’s environment is the existence of clairvoyance, or knowledge about events that have not yet occurred. The mystical ability of certain human beings to see into the future brings elements of fantasy into the novel. In Dune, Paul is focused upon because of his roles as the son on the Duke and as a Bene Gesserit, and as a Bene Gesserit he has the ability of clairvoyance. The question is, is Pauls’ clairvoyance playing into his free will or his fate? “Muad'Dib could indeed, see the Future, but you must understand the limits of this power. Think of sight. You have eyes, yet cannot see without light. If you are on the floor of a valley, you cannot see beyond your valley. Just so,
Muad'Dib could not always choose to look across the mysterious terrain. He tells us that a single obscure decision of prophecy, perhaps the choice of one word over another, could change the entire aspect of the future. He tells us "The vision of time is broad, but when you pass through it, time becomes a narrow door." And always, he fought the temptation to choose a clear, safe course, warning "That path leads ever down into stagnation."
-from "Arrakis Awakening" by the Princess Irulan”
Paul’s clairvoyance gives him control. By knowing the future, Paul can shape events in the present to attain the results he desires. Of all his powers, clairvoyance is perhaps the most useful, as well as the most terrifying. Paul feels that his clairvoyance is both a blessing and a curse. He is concerned about having too much control over people, such as the Fremen,