The Confessions Of Saint Augustine Analysis

The Confessions of Saint Augustine is an autobiographical account of a man who grew up in a time where rhetoric was the most useful skill one could master. Despite being gifted in the art of speaking, Augustine found himself bored by it as a child and frequently lamented on having to read dry novels such as those written by Homer and Virgil. After discussing his mischievous adolescence in the novel, Augustine moved on to recount his experiences in university. It was then that found himself with an addiction that he would only realize the severity of later in life and as a result repent having started in the first place; going to the theatre. The passage divides itself neatly into three sections, each with different objectives, focuses, and ways of achieving them. The beginning serves to showcase that Augustine is not a man without pity, the second section uses logos to give a sound reasoning of his perception of the state of a person who finds pleasure in the suffering of others, and the third

He claims that it is impossible for someone to truly feel compassion for someone suffering and still find pleasure in the play. Someone who feels true compassion would prefer that there be no cause for sorrow to begin with. As a result, those who seek dramas as a means of pleasure cannot do so righteously, because of the ingrained contradiction in the lust for pleasure and the sincere motivation for compassion. The interpretation of this logical fallacy is likely to be a reference to the idea that while Augustine was searching for truth, he did not find or accept God until much later. For example, the time he spent with the Manichees and reading multiple philosophical works was entertaining like the dramas, but only reinforced notions that he already held. Though he felt like he was learning, he was not making any headway toward his true