No Men are Foreign (Notes)

Characters: Narrator/Poet

Theme: The oneness of mankind underneath the superficial differences of colour, race, nationality and
faith
Summary: The poem ‘No Men Are Foreign’ begins and ends with the same line- ‘Remember no men
are strange, no countries foreign’ as the poet wants to emphasize on the fact that all the people living on
this Earth are the same and that we have created distinctions by erecting borders and fences, different
languages, etc. While we are alive, we walk on the same Earth and upon our death, we will lie in our
graves in the same earth. He draws another similarity that we all enjoy good food during peace and
starve during war and in winter time. We all have similar hands which we use to do a lot of hard work.
All of us have eyes which remain open when we are awake and close when we are asleep. He reminds
the reader that whenever we hate someone, we cheat and hate ourselves. Also, when we pick up
weapons against someone, we pollute the Earth and make it impure with the huge mounds of dead
bodies strewn on it.

Literary Devices:

1. Rhyme Scheme: The entire poem is written in free verse. There is no rhyme scheme in the poem.
2. Alliteration: The repetition of a consonant sound in two or more closely placed words is called
alliteration. The instances of alliteration in the poem are – E.g. Stanza 1 – Body, breathes ‘b’ sound
is repeated, Stanza 2 – war’s, winter ‘w’ sound is repeated
3. Metaphor: Describing the situation as something else, usually for emphasis. E.g. Stanza 1
– Uniform refers to the military of different countries, Stanza 2 – wars time is compared to the
winter season
4. Repetition: It is used in the entire poem. E.g. ‘Remember’ word is repeated 5 times in this poem,
‘Remember, no men are strange, no countries foreign’ is repeated in stanza 1 and stanza 5
5. Enjambment: Running lines of poetry from one line to the next without using any kind of
punctuation to indicate a stop. Instances of enjambment in the poem are as follows- Stanza 1 – line
2, 3 and 4, Stanza 2 – line 3 and 3, Stanza 3 – line 1, 2, and 3, Stanza 4 – line 1 and 2, Stanza 5 –
Line 2 and 3

Question Answers:
Q1. How does the poet suggest that all people on earth are the same?

Ans: In the first stanza, the poet suggests that no human being is strange or different. Beneath the
superficial surface of our bodies, we all have similar hearts, minds and souls. We all breathe and live in
a similar manner. The earth is our common asset and one day we all shall die and be buried in the same
way.

Q2. What does the poet mean when he says, 'in which we all shall lie'?
Ans: The poet means that we all shall lie under the same earth. Here 'lie' means to be buried after death.
This is to highlight that all of us have to meet the same fate, sooner or later, hence there is no point in
hating each other.

Q3. Why does the poet call harvests 'peaceful' and war as 'winter'?

Ans: Harvests are called 'peaceful' because they bring abundance and prosperity and they thrive in
peaceful times only. War, on to the other hand, is like the severe and harsh 'winter' that ruins the crops
and starves people. It is only the peaceful times that bring harmony and contentment. War destroys
everything and forces people to face hunger, poverty, disease and death.

Q4. How does man pollute this earth by going to war?

Ans: Man pollutes the earth by causing death and destruction and by spreading hatred and enmity
through wars. The war also causes irreparable damage to the earth's environment by polluting it with
dust, debris and smoke caused by war weapons.

Q5. What does the poet say about 'hating our brothers'?

Ans:-The poet strongly condemns 'hating our brothers'. He feels that when we indulge in such
negativity, we actually harm ourselves. We deprive ourselves of the love of our brothers and earn
condemnation for such depravity.

Q6. Why does the poet say that people of the world should live in peace and not go to war?

Ans: The poet advocates living in peace because peace brings progress, prosperity and cheer in this
world. He advises mankind to shun wars because wars bring death, exploitation, want, poverty and
starvation. They also defile the earth and pollute the very air we all breathe.

Q7. How does the poet propose to win over other countries?

Ans: The poet proposes to win over other countries through the divine force of love. It is a universal
fact that this world responds positively to love and kindness. So the poet plans to use it to end all hatred
and war and create peaceful heaven on earth.

Q8. "No Men are Foreign" is an anti-war poem. Comment.

Ans: "No Men Are Foreign" is a peace poem which propagates the idea of human brotherhood and
peaceful co-existence by annihilating all war and hatred. War harms both the suppressed and the
suppressor. It brings about death, destruction, deprivation' starvation and pollution. Hence, wars should
be shunned forever.

Q9. How do all human beings live and suffer the same on the earth?

Ans. The poet says that all live and suffer the same. The human body is the same everywhere. All live
under the same sun, use the same air and water. All prosper when there is peace. All starve when there
is war. War destroys everyone equally.
Q10. What will happen if we hate our brothers?

Ans. Hatred is our biggest enemy in the world. If we hate our brothers it means we deprive ourselves of
what we are. It means our self-betrayal and self-condemnation only.

Q11.Mention any two ways in which people living in other countries are similar to us.
Ans:-All people of the world have eyes similar to ours. They too experience the phenomena of sleeping
and waking up like us. The emotion of love too is experienced and responded to in a similar manner by
all the people. Everyone’s physical strength can be countered with the power of love.
Q12.How does the title sum up the theme of the poem “No Men are Foreign”?
Ans:-Right through the poem, the poet talks about the concept of universal brotherhood and peaceful
co-existence, without any place for any kind of prejudice. He emphasises the fact that all human beings
are inherently the same and divisions based on nation, caste, colour, creed or religion are baseless.
James Kirkup, the poet, has beautifully conveyed these ideas through the title of the poem “No Men
Are Foreign”.
Q13.How does the poet suggest that all people on earth are the same?
Ans. The poet suggests that all people on earth are the same. They breathe, eat and walk in the same
way. They all use the same light of the sun, air and water. They all love peace and hate war and have
similar eyes.
Q14.Explain: ‘Are fed by peaceful harvests’.
Ans. It means the fact that humanity or the world progresses only in peaceful conditions. It is only in
the time of harmony and satisfaction that brings prosperity for all.
Q15. What is the air full of? How is it polluted?
Ans. The air is full of innocence. It is polluted by wars and hatred and it also controls the innocent
minds of people. Thus, wars and hatred are not good for us.
Q16. How does the poem justify that people in all countries of the world are essentially the same?
Ans:-The poet justifies the statement that people living in different countries are essentially the same
by asserting that ‘no men are strange’. Every single body breathes and functions in the same way as
ours. Each one of us equally needs the sun, air and water. Human hands too are used for the similar
purpose of toiling for livelihood. Eyes too perform the similar function of sleeping and waking up.
Love wins us all and we all recognise its power. In peace times, we all flourish and wars starve us.
Hatred leads us astray and when we take up arms against each other, the entire earth is defiled and
destroyed. Therefore, we all like peace which showers abundance and prosperity on us. Therefore,
essentially we all are the same.

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