World Literature 271                                               Name:_______________

Web-Wednesday Assignment:  The Augustine Treasure Hunt

(pp. 1113-1141)

Due:

Value: 10 Points

Overview: Augustine presents us with the first known autobiography of the ancient world. In it he chronicles his early years up through his conversion to Christianity 387 C.E.

Augustine and Confessions are important for several reasons:

Ø First, without his church leadership after his conversion, Christianity might not have survived the next historical epoch, the Middle Ages.

Ø Second, Augustine provides us with a bridge because, as our anthology says, “In Augustine are combined the intellectual tradition of the ancient world and the religious feeling that was characteristic of the Middle Ages” (1113).

Ø Finally, Augustine’s Confessions is a sublimely honest revelation of a human torn between the appeal of worldly goals and the pleasures of the flesh, and the hope of a new faith and a life of the spirit. In this regard, Augustine is as modern and as relevant as any author we will have the opportunity to study.

(please flip me over)

Assignment: Please complete the following on a brief treasure hunt through Confessions.

ü First quick-read “Childhood,” (1114-1118). Collect a few facts about Augustine’s upbringing. In a short paragraph summarize Augustine’s family life and school experience.

ü Next quick-read “The Pear Tree,” (1118-1121). In a sentence or two, what is his point?

ü Then read the first paragraph of “Student at Carthage,” (1121). Write a brief summary of this paragraph. What “foods” is he referring to with the term “hunger”? This paragraph was written nearly 1600 years ago. What if any relevance does this paragraph have to 2006 Earth and modern humans?

ü Finally, please read “Conversion,” (1127-1130) and answer the following questions:

]Specifically what is it that is “chaining” him?

]At the end of the paragraph that ends on the top of p.1129, he writes, “How long shall I go on saying tomorrow and again tomorrow?” What is it that he keeps putting off until tomorrow?

]What does the voice repeating, “Take and read, take and read,” cause him to do?

]What biblical passage does he read?

]What effect does it have on him?