Poem 6 - No Men Are Foreign

In the poem, ‘No Men are Foreign’, by James Kirkup, a dreadful image of the world suffering through war has been presented. The poet signifies the notion of a unified humanity, that is- without any national and political borders, no men are foreign. Here at UrbanPro, you will be able to access No men are Foreign Extra Questions and No Men are Foreign Class 9 Solutions that will help you with your examinations.

Summary

“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.”

In these lines, the poet presents that all men are equal and are not distinguished by their national borders. Beneath every uniform of a soldier, is an average human that lives in this same world and breathes the same air. We are all born in this soil, and it also shall be our resting place.

“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”

Here, ‘they’ refers to the people of this planet. All people in this world share the same soil, vegetation, air, and water that is provided by mother Earth. All human beings work hard to ensure their livelihood, which is equally shared by everyone.

“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.”

All humans have eyes that see the same world and close as we sleep, along with the strength that allows one to achieve victory over others. We are all children of this Earth, as we can recognise and understand others clearly.

“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”

The poet conveys the message that hatred between us humans are all lies that are spread through our mouth. This hatred arises due to our actions and causes us to commit actions like condemnation, betrayal, and dispossession. It is us that take arms against each other.

“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.

defile: make dirty; pollute

outrage the innocence of: violate the purity of”

Our actions have caused this Earth to rot and defiled. Our anger and hatred against each other help in destroying lives and this world. The poet says that no one is foreign to each other and we are all the same.

Character List

The poem has no characters and serves as a commentary on war and kinship.

Literary Devices Used

The entirety of this poem is written in free verse, and no rhyme scheme is used. Alliterations, Metaphors, Enjambments, and word repetitions are used throughout the poem.

Themes

The central theme of this poem is anti-war and unified humanity. The poet portrays the viewpoint of having no international borders and united understanding coexisting in peace and harmony.