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Moloch

Literary Character
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Canaanite god associated with child sacrifice, later a demonic figure

Detailed Definition
Moloch appears in the Bible and is dramatized in Milton and Allen Ginsberg as a symbol of oppressive, devouring power. In poetry, he represents institutionalized violence, the sacrifice of the innocent to state or war, and the monstrous face of authority, often used in anti-war or anti-capitalist verse.
Example
Example in poetry:
Moloch in Milton’s "Paradise Lost" is a warlike demon demanding child sacrifice; In Blake’s "America," Moloch symbolizes oppressive revolution; Modern poets (e.g., Ginsberg’s "Howl") use Moloch to critique industrial dehumanization; His name evokes sacrificial violence in political poetry.
Additional Notes
Moloch, a Canaanite deity associated with child sacrifice, was reimagined by Milton and later poets as a symbol of tyrannical power; his literary character embodies destructive idolatry, key for analyzing how ancient gods are repurposed as allegories of political or spiritual oppression.
Also Known As
Molech
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