Complex sentence: Moloch has been used figuratively in English literature from John Milton's "Paradise Lost" (1667) to Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" (1955), to refer to a person or thing demanding or requiring a very costly sacrifice.
Split into simpler sentences: Moloch has been used figuratively in English literature from John Milton's "Paradise Lost" (1667) to Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" (1955). In modern English he is often used to refer to a person or thing demanding or requiring a very costly sacrifice.