Augustine's Confessions: Book X Response Questions

6. What does Augustine tell us in book X that helps us understand the structure of the Confessions as a whole, including the non--narrative books?

Books I-IX serve as the narrative of his life describing the events leading to his conversion. In book X however, Augustine justifies the validity of this narrative through the power of narrative as he compels the audience to reexperience the events of his past with him in order to further understand the relationship between man and God. Memory, Augustine claims in book X, is the mode of recalling events and reexpereicing the feeling and senses that came with it. Doing this in Augustine's life allows him to analise the difference between his human-centered motives prior to his conversion compared with his God-filled attitude after it. The change Augustine observes, which he clearly points out to his audience, was extremely provocative in explaining the relationship between man and God, using his Memory to employ himself as a humble example. Reading Augustine May cause some Christians some spiritually nostalgic feelings in recalling their personal experiences after reading Augustine's.

Augustine's Confessions: Book IX Response Question

2. What can we infer about Augustine as a father from what he tells us about his son in this book?

Although Augustine is shamed by the circumstances under which Adeodatus was born, he still shows immense love toward his child and vast grief at his death. In Book IX, Augustine must not only cope with the death of his son, but also his mother. Augustine's relationship with his son was filled with respect and companionship. He describes his own spiritual maturity being at a similar level with that of his son's. They were both baptised together and had very similar timing in their spiritual growth. The parallel nature of their lives comes to a disruptive stop at Adeodatus's untimely death, and Augustine loses not only his son, but also a spiritual companion.