No Men Are Foreign (Poem)

Thinking about the Poem

Question 1.

(i) “Beneath all uniforms …” What uniforms do you think the poet is speaking about?

Answer The poet is speaking about the uniforms which the soldiers wear at the time of war. The word uniform here can also mean the traditional dresses of a country.

(ii) How does the poet suggest that all people on earth are the same?

Answer The poet says that though people wear different dresses or uniform, they are same. Everyone walks, lives on the same earth, breathe in air, drinks water, eats food  and is aware of the presence of all natural things. Everyone needs peace and suffer from starvation during wars. So the poet suggests that nobody is foreign and no country is strange.

Question 2 In stanza 1, find five ways in which we all are alike. Pick out the words.

Answer Words which suggest the five ways in which the poet draws similarity between all human beings are : no men are strange, single body breathes, land our brothers walk upon, uniforms and earth like this in which we all shall lie.

Question 3 How many common features can you find in stanza 2? Pick out the words.

Answer There are 5 common features in stanza 2.These are the Sun, air, water, peaceful harvest, hands and the labour.

Question 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?

Answer We are told to hate the people belonging to other countries at the time of war. Political leaders and powerful people work for their personal profits ask people also to do so. They use people for their own benefit. However, we should not become puppet of their hands and do as they say. We should use our own brain and do what is right. We should understand that war is futile and analyse the situation before jumping to conclusion. The poet asks us to remember that by hating other people, we are spreading hatred and chaos among ourself.