James Bantugan

Mrs. Bradley
AP English 12
30 November 2016
Devils Argument Essay
In todays contemporary society, there are many world leaders that would symbolically
represent one of the five devils debating in Book 2 of Miltons Paradise Lost. Moloch, the
fiercest and strongest fallen angel under Satan, is the typical warmonger of human history. His
plan was to assemble the legions of fallen angels and fight another difficult, uphill battle against
Heaven. He reasoned that if they didnt win the battle, they would have nothing to lose since
theyre already in Hell. Rhetorically, he bases his argument mostly on pathos and some logos.
Over the past century, there have been numerous politicians and dictators that have portrayed
Moloch's plan in order to gain power and destroy their enemies. Kim Jong Un, North Koreas
current leader, advocates extreme militarization to crush South Korea and the United States and
their allies. Kim Jong Uns ongoing conflict mirrors Molochs two key points that they should
fight and that theres no reason not to try.
The initial component of Moloch's argument is in the enthusiasm and strength of Satans
legions. He argues that millions of angels are ready to fight once again against the omnipotent
forces of Heaven instead of idling in Hell. Similar to this situation, North Koreas current
standing army is composed of over 1.2 million soldiers and another seven million men in
reserves. Kim Jong Uns troops are eager to fight for their supreme leader and their country even
though the forces of the United States would overwhelmingly annihilate them. Moloch also
mentions that their armies have new forged arms of Hell that would supposedly cause horror and
terror against God and all the angels of Heaven. The horrid arms in this case would be North

Koreas nuclear arsenal, which could be described as a fiery weapon of Hell that would cause
someone to hear infernal thunder and see lighting of black fire and horror. In this segment,
Moloch is stating his argument emotionally and irrationally. Kim Jong Un is also comparable
claiming that he would destroy the United States even though its militarily impossible.
The second part of Moloch's argument is his reasoning of fighting instead of staying in
Hell. Being expelled from Heaven and chained up in flames, Satan and his fallen angels have
nothing else left to look forward to. Moloch reasons that their destruction is better than eternally
staying in Hell. Therefore, they should fight because they have nothing left to lose. Just like in
North Koreas case, North Korean officials brainwashed their people to believe that without
communism and their regime, they would suffer and have nothing to live for in a world
dominated by capitalists and imperialists. Appealing to both logic and emotion, the north koreans
understand a life of hardship dominated by foreign nations such as China and Japan. Therefore,
they reason that its better to die for their country rather than succumb to subjugators.
In comparison to Molochs plan to wage another war against Heaven, North Koreas
dictator fits both criteria of the devils argument. Just as the fallen angels were restless for battle,
North Koreas military is numerous and ready to fight against all of their enemies. Equipped with
weapons forged from Hell, the north koreans also have horrid arms (nuclear weapons) that
inflict fear and destruction to their foes. Lastly, knowing that annihilation is better than eternity
in fire, the north koreans also believe that they should die fighting for their country instead of
living in a world without their leader and communism.