How Paradise Lost Revolutionized the World (w/ Orlando Reade) | The Chris Hedges Report

Jun 5, 2025

Orlando Reade, a Professor of English at Northeastern University London and author of What in Me Is Dark, discusses John Milton's enduring influence in his exploration of 'Paradise Lost.' He shares how the poem's revolutionary themes resonated with historical figures like Malcolm X and Thomas Jefferson. Reade also examines Milton's complex portrayal of Satan as a reflection of his own struggles against tyranny, revealing how literature can enlighten our understanding of freedom, power, and rebellion throughout history.

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INSIGHT

Milton Sees Satan as Failed Revolutionary

Paradise Lost reflects Milton's life and the political defeat he faced after the English Civil War.
Satan embodies a failed revolutionary akin to Milton himself, expressing critiques both of God and monarchy.

insights

INSIGHT

Liberty Through Humble Acts

Milton's poem advocates liberty through small, humble acts, not violent revolutions.
Paradise Lost highlights patience, forgiveness, and meek power as heroic, diverging from traditional epic celebrations of war.

insights

INSIGHT

Malcolm X’s Radical Interpretation

Malcolm X found profound parallels between Milton's Paradise Lost and Elijah Muhammad's Nation of Islam mythology.
He saw Milton's critique of colonialism and white supremacy as aligned with his own revolutionary views.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Milton's Paradise: Politics and the Profound Fall

02:56 • 23min

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Exploring Milton's Vision of Betrayal and Colonization

25:35 • 2min

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Malcolm X's Intellectual Awakening and Literary Insights

27:29 • 5min

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Contrasting Realities: Education in Prison and Elite Institutions

32:09 • 2min

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Intersections of Privilege and Political Thought

34:00 • 10min

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Milton's Legacy in Modern Literature

43:52 • 12min

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Paradise Lost

John Milton

Published in 1667, 'Paradise Lost' is an epic poem in blank verse that follows the biblical story of the Fall of Man. The poem begins in medias res, detailing the descent of Satan and his followers into Hell after their rebellion against God. It explores two main narrative arcs: one focusing on Satan's actions and the other on Adam and Eve's story in the Garden of Eden. The poem delves into themes such as free will, obedience, revenge, and pride, and it portrays the complex characters of Satan, Adam, and Eve. Milton's work is known for its rich language, classical structure, and profound theological and philosophical insights.

There are few pieces of literature that remain as prescient and relevant throughout history as John Milton’s Paradise Lost. Thomas Jefferson, Malcolm X, Virginia Woolf, Thomas Paine and dozens more drew inspiration from and studied Milton’s grand work and the revolutionary themes within it.

Professor Orlando Reade, in his book, What in Me Is Dark: The Revolutionary Afterlife of Paradise Lost, examines the epic poem’s influence in the four centuries since its publication and joins host Chris Hedges on this episode of The Chris Hedges Report to discuss this history.

Reade begins with the historical context of the poem, which was after the seventeenth century English revolution that overthrew the monarchy. Milton’s work, Reade and Hedges explain, embodies critiques of both monarchy and revolution.

“The reader is presented with a figure of Satan that seems a lot like Milton himself, a failed revolutionary recovering from a disastrous defeat and often articulating arguments against God, who Satan calls a tyrant, that Milton himself had made against the English King,” Reade explains. “So the great mystery of Paradise Lost is trying to figure out why Milton gives us a Satan that seems so much like himself.”

The historical parallels found within Paradise Lost clearly resonate with figures in history, especially those in the struggle for freedom and abolition. Reade emphasizes how many times the poem is referenced throughout this history.

“This is not an epic poem that spends much time celebrating the heroic deeds of men. It's not a macho poem. It's a poem for which the most heroic acts are true to the New Testament. They're humble and often quiet acts of love, of forgiveness, and so on,” he says.

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