No Men are Foreign
Have you ever thought of some people as strange, or other countries as ‘foreign’? We have many ways of thinking of other people as different from ‘us’, as ‘them.’ ‘They’ may belong to a different country, or speak a different language. In this poem, however, the poet reminds us of the many ways in which we are all the same — for we are all human.
Stanza..1..
Remember, no men are strange, no countries foreign
Beneath all uniforms, a single body breathes
Like ours: the land our brothers walk upon
Is earth like this, in which we all shall lie.
Explanation .. The author proclaims that huma race is one single entity. This is because humans have very similar body mechanism. The life process is identical. All human beings rise from soil and then perish inxside it. Because of such sweeping similarity, it would be unwise to describe ome other human beings s ‘strange’ and ‘foreign’.
Stanza 2 ..
They, too, aware of sun and air and water,
Are fed by peaceful harvests, by war’s long winter starv’d.
Their hands are ours, and in their lines we read
A labour not different from our own.
Explanation … All human beings get their nourishment from sun, air, and water. They all grow crops from the field during times of peace. War disrupts cultivation and it leads to shortage of food and eventual starvation of fellow human beings. The people we perceive as our rivals have bodies very similar to ours, and we practice very similar education methods. They also toil as we do.
Stanza 3 ..
Remember they have eyes like ours that wake
Or sleep, and strength that can be won
By love. In every land is common life
That all can recognise and understand.
Explanation .. All humans have eyes. All of us have very similar sleeping and waking up patterns. We all know we can win other’s hearts through love. Such uniformity of body and mind exists all over the world. It’s impossible to ignore such uniformity of our existence.
Stanza 4..
Let us remember, whenever we are told
To hate our brothers, it is ourselves
That we shall dispossess, betray, condemn.
Remember, we who take arms against each other
Explanation .. The author affirms his conviction against hatred by saying that practicing hate against others amounts to dispossesing ourselves of all noble things. Hateing our fellow human beings amounts to betrayal and condemnation of the noble element in our souls. Using arms to fight our friends is the ultimate act of robbing ourselves of all genteel and humane feelings in us.
Stanza 5 ..
It is the human earth that we defile.
Our hells of fire and dust outrage the innocence
Of air that is everywhere our own,
Remember, no men are foreign, and no countries strange.
Explanation… Through practice of violence, we disgrace our mother earth. In the course of the war, the ruining and devastation of the land results in inflicting punishment of the innocent people. Since, we all breathe the same air, we can not treat some of our fellow humans as our enemies. So, it is wise to assume that describing some as ‘foreign’ amounts to a gross fallacy of perception.
JAMES KIRKUP
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Thinking about the Poem
1. (i) “Beneath all uniforms …” What uniforms do you think the poet is
speaking about?
Ans .. It’s the clothes we wear to protect and conceal our body. These are all made from materials like cotton, leather etc. and serve the same purpose.
(ii) How does the poet suggest that all people on earth are the same?
Ans .. The poet states how all humans draw their sustenance from Su, air and rain. They grow crop from the soil to feed themselves.
2. In stanza 1, find five ways in which we all are alike. Pick out the words.
Ans .. Beneath all uniforms, a single body breathes
Like ours: the land our brothers walk upon
Is earth like this, in which we all shall lie.
3. How many common features can you find in stanza 2? Pick out the words.
Ans .. Sun, Air, Water and Harvest
4. “…whenever we are told to hate our brothers …” When do you think this
happens? Why? Who ‘tells’ us? Should we do as we are told at such times?
What does the poet say?
Ans .. During times of communal conflicts, wars and battles, we are brain-washed by our leaders, both political and religios, to hate our perceived rivals. It helps them to bolster their image, and also to mobilize resources to continue the fight,