Part 2: Research Paper: Choose between Canterbury Tales, Odyssey, Oedipus, Augustine, Divine Comedy

Susie Student Anne Benenhaley English 261.0901 25 January 2018 Outline Thesis Statement: Augustine’s spiritual journey to overcome pride, understand love, forsake sin and recognize the Omnipotence of God and be closer to him through true conversion are intimately reflected in the Confessions. I. Overcoming Pride A. Dangers of pride 1. Worldly success 2. Ambition II. Understanding Love A. Temporal love 1. Struggles to know the difference between physical and emotional love 2. Love of his mother 3. Earthly love B. Spiritual love 1. God’s love and mercy for man 2. Man’s love for God III. Forsaking Sins A. Types of sins 1. Lust 2. Sexual promiscuity B. Struggles to overcome sins 1. Difficulty letting go of his physical nature to sin 2. Desires to be closer to God but sins prevent him IV. Recognize the Omnipotence of God and draw closer to him through true conversion A. God’s Omnipotence 1. God created all 2. God exists in everything 3. Man is nothing without God B. True Conversion 1. Inner spiritual struggle that continually leads him to God 2. Desire to overcome world and self 3. Example of his mother, her testimony of God and the spirit world preceding her death 4. Scripture verse