Why is a discussion of memory appropriate in Book X of Confessions

The discussion provided in Book X is very important because Books I-IX pertain to Augustine's memory. Books I-XI are very important to Augustine's career as a minster and to Augustine's church body because the books explain how he converted and therefore the books prove how Augustine no longer held by the bounds of sin. Also many of the ideas and topics introduced in these first nine books continue to be explored and discussed in the next four books. It is important to note that these first nine books are based completely off of Augustine's memory and are therefore subject to Augustine's "retelling". Perhaps when Augustine discusses and explores the capabilities of the mind he is also providing proof for the validity of his first nine books.

What can we infer about Augustine as a father from what he tells us about his son in Book IX?

After reading Book IV, I see Augustine as a loving father figure whose relationship with his son, Adeodatus, was closer to that of a friendship, rather than a father son relationship. I believe Augustine to be a loving father because of the amount of space and time Augustine spends describing "the brilliance he [Adeodatus] evinced" (Book IV 6, 14). I view their relationship as a peer to peer relations because Augustine stated that he had "included him in the group, as our contemporary, in the life of your grace, to be schooled along with us in your doctrine." From reading Augustine's preceding books (6-8), the reader can correctly infer that Augustine's friends are learned intellectuals, and one can clearly see that many of them contributed to Augustine's search for Truth. Anybody that Augustine has included in "the group" must have been someone that Augustine had respected and treated as a friend. However one must keep in mind that it is difficult to make a completely accurate inference about Augustine as a father figure because of the lack of information Augustine provides pertaining to his son in the Confessions.

How does Augustine dramatize the moment of his conversion?

Augustine dramatizes his conversion as an intense moment where Augustine finally "gives in." to the Truth. Previous to this moment, Augustine's entire life has been building or rising to this conversion experience. In the previous chapter ,Augustine discovers Truth and how to get to Truth. Augustine claims that Truth or "that which is" proves to be God's invisible reality. "And then my mind attained to That Which Is, [...] Then indeed I did perceive your invisible reality through created things" (Book 8 17,23) Augustine later goes on to say that "I had readily chattered on the subject, and I had not yet been seeking your [God's] way in Christ." (Book 20,26) Therefore if Augustine believes God is Truth, and also believes that God's way (or the way to Truth) is in Christ, Why does not Augustine simply become a Christian? Well in Book 9, Augustine claims: "I had grown used to pretending that the only reason why I had not yet turned my back on the world to serve you was that my perception of the truth was uncertain, but that excuse was no longer available to me, for by now it was certain. But I was still entangled by the earth and refused to enlist in your service." (Book 9 5,11) He then says: "I will now relate how you set me free from a craving from sexual gratification which fettered me like a tight-drawn chain, and from my enslavement to worldly affairs." (Book 6,13) Therefore, it is not lack of knowledge which prohibits Augustine from joining the Catholic Church, but rather it is the sins and enslavements of this world that keep Augustine from converting to Christianity. Ergo, when Augustine finally experiences his conversion, the importance and intensity of the moment is enhanced because we, as the audience, can see that Augustine's entire life has been a build up to this moment. From Augustine's beginning of love for wisdom in Book 2 to Augustine 10 year- long search for Truth all the way up to Augustine's struggle against the sins of this world, Augustine life has been craving for a Conversion moment.