When he learns he is going to receive the Idemili title, Okoye visits Okonkwo’s father, Unoka, to collect on his debts, using persuasive techniques to get to his point. How does Okoye feel about asking Okonka about the debt? What devices does Okoye use to try and persuade Onoka to repay his debt? How does Unoka react to the request, and what does this reveal about Unoka?
PLEASE, HELP ME?
Okonkwo's father, Unoka, is revealed to be a lazy do-nothing, who dies deep in debt. The narrator digresses to tell us about Unoka. Unoka was a great flute player in his youth, but he became a failure as an adult. He was constantly borrowing from his friends and neighbors, and his children and wife did not have enough to eat.
One day, a neighbor of Unoka, a man named Okoye, came to discuss the money Unoka owed him. The rituals of hospitality are described: the guest brings kola, a kind of food eaten during visits, and the men often speak in proverbs. Okoye was about take the third-highest title in the land, and he needed to collect resources. Unoka laughed him off, telling him that he had many other debts he needed to pay first.
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