No Men are Foreign Class 9 English, Beehive – Summary, Extra Questions, Word Meanings

No Men are Foreign Class 9 English, Beehive Poem

Detailed summary and explanation of “No Men are Foreign” Poem along with meanings for difficult words is provided here. Also, NCERT Question and Answers are also provided to help students understand this Poem and do well in their exams.

☛ NCERT Solutions – No Men are Foreign (Poem)

Contents

1 Introduction
2 Summary
3 Extra Questions
4 Word Meaning

Introduction

The poem ‘No Men are Foreign’ is about the concept of universal brotherhood and equality. The poet says that the whole world is one. All of us have a common feeling of love and a common resource of our life inspite of the different nationalities, religion or colour. We must unite to make everyone’s life better. When we hate one another, we betray humanity. By indulging in wars against each other, we spoil the purity of this Earth which belongs to all of us. We all are human beings and we should remember that no man is foreign and no countries are strange.

Summary

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.

The poet herein promotes global brotherhood and states that no person living on the planet is strange and no land is foreign. According to him, we all are brothers and sisters. There may exist a difference between the uniforms worn by soldiers of different countries. They may also exist a difference between our cultures, religions etc. and may be separated by man made boundaries but we all are human beings. God has made is in a similar way. Each and every land in the world is same. We all live upon the same Mother Earth and upon death, shall be buried in the same Earth.

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.

Here in the poet states that those people who we call the strangers use that resources that we do. They are aware of the same Sun, air and water. They too are aware of them and there is no difference in the manner we use them. They breath the same air, enioy the warmth of the same sun and drink the same water. They get their food in the same manner as, we get our food, from the field. They like peace as we do. When there is a war they too face hardship ad they die due to starvation as we would have to. They us their hands as we do. They also speak to communicate with one another. Further, just like us the strangers also work hard to earn their livelihood. Thus we all are similar to each other. According to the poet, if all of the things are common between all of us, then there is nothing strange or foreign. 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.

The poet says that even the physical characteristics of the strangers are similar to ours. They have eyes that wake up or sleep just like us. With the same eyes they see the world as we do. They too have the same strength which can be won by love and sympathy. Life is common in every land which all can recognise and understand. Wherever we go we find the people the same with similar emotions and other characteristics. So in such a situation how can people be stranger or foreign? Every country has the same type of lite that can be easily noticed and appreciated. Stanza 4

Let us remember, whenever we are told

To hate our brother, it is ourselves

That we shall dispossess, betray, condemn.

Remember, we who take arms against each other.

In these lines, the poet points out that in our world there are some people who spread hatred and create differences; such people give way to wars and makes us kill other humans. In such a situation, we must remember that if we hate our brothers, we hate ourselves, we are only cheating and attacking ourselves. We must remember that we are equals and similar to each other before taking arms against each other.

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.

In wars, we pollute and destroy the Earth that should be full of unity and peace. Our hatred and anger destroys the innocence as well as the positive qualities that we are born with. War leads to a lot of blood shed and death which makes Mother Earth impure. The smoke full of dangerous chemicals during wars fill the air that we breathe with such inhumane acts we are degrading ourselves. So, we must not commit such anti-human acts and remember that no one is strange and no country is foreign.

Extra Questions

(1) What breathes beneath all uniforms?

(2) How are no men strange and how are no countries foreign?

(3) Why is war long winter starved?

(4) What shall happen if we hate our brothers?

(5) According to the poet, how do we pollute the Earth?

(6) Whom do the Earth and air belong to?

(7) How does the poet describe in Stanza 1 that all people on the Earth are same?

(8) How are the people living all over the world same as given in the Stanza II?

(9) What happens when we are told to hate our brothers?

(10) What should a man remember according to James Kirkup?

(11) Why does the poet believe that people must not fight against one another?

(12) How does the poet describe that no men are foreign?

(13) What is the irony in the use of word ‘uniform’?

(14) In which context harvests and war have been used by the poet?

(15) How is the labour not different for us and for the so called strangers?

(16) How can we say that there is a common life in every part of the land?

(17) Explain how does our hatred, jealousy and misdeed pollute our own Earth?

Word Meaning
starv’d	starved, died due to hunger
dispossess	deprive
betray	to cheat. to bluff
condemn	attack
defile	to pollute
outrage	to overcome, to surpass

Introduction

Summary

Extra Questions

Word Meaning

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