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By the time the English poet John Milton had completed his epic poem “Paradise Lost” in 1664, he was completely blind. He dictated most of the verse to his aides, which included his three daughters. That is partly why the theme of light plays so heavily in the text with many references to the light inside of us and comparisons between salvation and light: “Long is the way and hard, that out of Hell leads up to light.”

Written at a time of political upheaval in Britain, Milton uses the poem to mirror his despondence with his country’s state of affairs, but still holds onto hope and...