No Men Are Foreign Notes

No Men Are Foreign (Notes)
Theme: The theme of the poem “No Men Are Foreign” is the oneness of mankind
underneath the superficial differences of colour, race, nationality and faith. It presupposes
that all human beings are brothers and sisters. Those who spread hatred and wage wars are
criminals and deserve to be condemned. The poem also deals with the supremacy of love,
accord, friendship and amity among all the people in this world.
Word Meanings:
1. Starv’d- famished, deprived of sustenance
2. Labour- toil, work
3. Condemn- criticize, denounce
4. Arms- weapons
Answer the followings:

1. How are we responsible for war? Explain with reference to the poem No Men Are
Foreign’.
Ans: Everyone is responsible for the war. If we start hating our brothers, we will become the
cause of tension. And the tension is converted into war one day. So nobody should hate and
despise anyone. Our biased and impolite behaviour toward fellow human beings become
the cause of unnecessary wars.
2. 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 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.
3. Wars have always brought total ruin in this world, yet they are fought repeatedly.’
(Discuss)
Ans: Wars are the result of over-ambition and greed of irresponsible rulers of the world.
They bring ruin both to the victor and the vanquished by shattering the economy of the
warring countries. In the past, wars were localised but now they are global and hence more
dangerous and destructive. The memories of the First and the Second World Wars are still
fresh in our minds. The horrific after-effects of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in
1945 can still be seen. Still, it is appalling to note that people of the world do not learn from
history. The danger of yet another war lurks all the time. The divisive forces are even
stronger in the present times and the mad race for armaments too is scary. Hope lies in the
strength of the common people who should refuse to be fooled by vested and unscrupulous
leaders. Instead, people of the world should look at the world as a global village that offers
innumerable opportunities and reasons for peaceful coexistence.
1
Poetic Devices:
The poem doesn’t have any specific rhyme scheme. It is written in free verse.
Stanza- 1
1. Alliteration: “Beneath all uniforms, a single body breathes”
2. Metaphor: “Beneath all uniforms, a single body breathes”
3. Simile: “Like ours: the land our brothers walk upon”
4. Personification: “Is earth like this, in which we all shall lie.”
5. Anaphora: “Remember, no men are strange, no countries foreign”
6. Enjambment: Throughout the stanza
Stanza- 2
1. Alliteration: “war’s long winter”
2. Metaphor: “by war’s long winter starv’d”
3. Personification: “Their hands are ours, and in their lines we read”
4. Synecdoche: “Their hands are ours”
5. Enjambment: “Their hands are ours, and in their lines we read”
8. Transferred Epithet: “Are fed by peaceful harvests”
9. Polysyndeton: “They, too, aware of sun and air and water,”
Reason: The repeated use of ‘and’ emphasizes the abundance and importance of these
natural elements, essential for all life.
Stanza- 3
1. Enjambment: Throughout the stanza (e.g., “Remember they have eyes like ours that wake
/ Or sleep, and strength that can be won”)
2. Simile: “Remember they have eyes like ours that wake”
3. Metaphor: “strength that can be won By love”
4. Personification: “common life That all can recognise and understand”
Stanza- 4
1. Repetition: “Let us remember,” and “Remember,”
2. Enjambment: Throughout the stanza (e.g., “whenever we are told / To hate our brothers,
it is ourselves”)
3. Metaphor: “it is ourselves / That we shall dispossess, betray, condemn.”
4. Irony: “To hate our brothers, it is ourselves / That we shall dispossess, betray, condemn.”
Reason: The irony lies in the fact that hatred directed outward ultimately harms the self,
highlighting the self-defeating nature of such emotions.
5. Antithesis: “To hate our brothers, it is ourselves”
Reason: The contrast between the act of hating others and self-harm underscores the
contradiction in such actions, emphasizing the unintended consequences on oneself.
Stanza- 5
1. Refrain (if compared with the previous ones)
“Remember, no men are foreign, and no countries strange.”
2. Enjambment: “Our hells of fire and dust outrage the innocence / Of air that is everywhere
our own,”
3. Metaphor: “Our hells of fire and dust”
4. Personification: “outrage the innocence of air”

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No Men Are Foreign (Notes)

Answer the followings:

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