[Music] in part 1 chapter 2 of Chinua Achebe's things fall apart the clan is notified of a town meeting that will take place the next morning it's a quiet night as nights without moonlight tend to be in a morphia the narrator notes that darkness held a vague terror for these people well Kongo thinks the meeting might be a call to war with great pride he recalls his own warrior exploits and the emblems of his victories five human heads he brought home as battle trophies he even drinks palm wine out of one of the heads on special occasions at the meeting as a you do a powerful order explains that a clans woman has been killed by someone from Mumbai no clan members decide to send a delegate to him by nô to negotiate the people of Ambani will have the choice of war or restitution they can give a mafia young man and a virgin as payment for the loss mafia is powerful in war and in magic and is therefore feared by its neighbors but the clan will go to war only if its Oracle declares the war just Okonkwo was chosen as the negotiator since he's the fiercest warrior when he goes to review the terms he's treated with great honor and respect soon enough he brings home a virgin and the young boy he came a funa oak on KO entrusts his first wife to look after this frightened and homesick young boy readers learned that Okonkwo rules his household with a heavy hand his wives and children live in perpetual fear of his fiery temper Okonkwo's life is dominated by the fear that he or one of his sons will end up like his father he has a lot of energy and works hard which enables him to grow wealthy in whyyyy Okonkwo's oldest son is very different than his father Okonkwo says he's lazy and he tries to correct him by constant nagging and beating at this early stage in the novel we come to understand Okonkwo's intensity and violence as a shield against his intense fear of failure and of weakness in his drive to succeed and deserve the respect of his clan Okonkwo vows never to be gentle or idle as his father was in every way he's determined to be the opposite of his father he rules his household with a firm hand he regularly beats his wives and children prefers action to conversation and expects unquestioned obedience when his first wife asks him a question he answers do what you're told woman he adds that she's not one of the elders he thus enforces the patriarchal hierarchy of the tribe and bases his identity as a man on the expectation of absolute authority and power this makes Okonkwo successful at war and respected by his fellow clan members but this kind of masculinity is hard on his family and it will create increasing conflict for him as ebo culture is gradually annihilated by colonial violence and imperialism