No Men Are Foreign Poem Lines & Explanation PDF TNPSC 2/2A

NO MEN ARE FOREIGN BY JAMES FALCONER KIRKUP - 10TH ENGLISH POEM LINES EXPLANATION SUMMARY FOR GENERAL ENGLISH TNPSC GROUP 2 - 2A 2022 PRELIMS EXAM WITH MODEL QUESTIONS & BOOK BACK ANSWER PDF#Blog-56

Mar 26, 2022, By Careericons

In this article, we have complied with very important information on the "No Men are Foreign Poem Written by James Falconer Kirkup" for the current TNPSC Group 2, 2A 2022 Preliminary Examination. Get complete study material for all General English syllabus wise with subject topics which help to clear this preliminary exam 2022.

1. Important Poem Lines in No Men are Foreign ,
2. Line By Line Simple Explanation & Summary of the poem - No Men are Foreign, &
3. Where to study information for all other poems.

TNPSC Group-II / IIA Services 2022 New Revised Syllabus (Objective Type Examination)

General English Syllabus-wise Study Materials

SSLC Standard For Preliminary Exam

Before going to the poem, check the prelims syllabus carefully and understand the importance of this poem. Where this poem comes under the "Part - B" of the General English of Revised New Syllabus of TNPSC G2 & 2A Services Examination 2022. Also, check the below links which will be useful for your upcoming examination.

Click Here → To Download TNPSC Group 2 & 2A 2022 - Official Notification PDF** Link

Let us discuss & read the poem No Men are Foreign written by James Falconer Kirkup (Which is also a peom in Unit - 5 of 10th standard of Tamil Nadu Samacheer Books) in detail with all examples of model questions asked in the previous TNPSC examinations.

Line By Line Stanza-wise Explanation for the poem,
"No Men Are Foreign"

Introduction & Theme of the Poem:

The theme is the central idea of a poem that could be one or many. In "No Men Are Foreign," James Kirkup, keeps on insisting on the one theme that is the "equality of mankind". He is desperate to have the oneness of mankind, despite all the man-made differences of colour, race, nationality, and faith. He proposes all men and women be brothers and sisters.

Explanation for the Stanza-1:

In the first stanza of 'No Men Are Foreign' the poet says that "no men are strange" and "no country is foreign". Using a very serious tone, he reiterates that all people are equal under the sky, for everyone breathes like everyone else. He feels that if borders are removed from Earth, no country will be foreign, and everyone will be free to move around. For the borders is something that separates countries from each other. The poet iterates that the entire Earth is one and the people "Beneath all uniforms" who live on this Earth belong to one human race for they are all "a single body breathes like ours". Further, we have all walked upon the same 'Earth', and when we die, we will be buried in the graves on the same Earth.

Explanation for the Stanza-2:

In the second stanza of 'No Men Are Foreign,' the poet refers to the similarities between the people he belongs to and the people from other countries. By 'They' he talks of people who belong to other countries. They too are aware of the "sun and air and water" which is the same to all on earth. When there is no war, we all do farming and enjoy the yields of the harvest. In the same way, during wars and winter, we all starve. Further, with "their hands are ours" he conveys that people in different countries too have the same hands and work the same way as we do. From all these examples, he suggests to the readers that there is no difference among the people belonging to different countries.

Explanation for the Stanza-3:

In the third stanza of 'No Men Are Foreign,' the poet calls out the readers to remember that even the foreigners have the same eyes. Like the poet's country people, they also use it to "wake or sleep," metaphorically marking the beginning and the end of their day. Similarly, we are given strength that one can win through love. Moreover, in every land that is in every country, there is one common thing, that is life. If a person could recognize this universality, then the poet says there will be no fights or wars between countries.

Explanation for the Stanza-4:

The fourth stanza of 'No Men Are Foreign' ultimately reveals the central idea of the poem and the poet's desire for peace among nations. He wants the readers, including himself to remember if someone hates the other in the name of the country, it is his own self the person hates. By hating "our brothers", the fellow human beings, we deprive, cheat, and condemn our own selves. Further, he adds, when waging war against each other, the loss is common to both side. So, one must understand it before drawing weapons against the other.

Explanation for the Stanza-5:

In the fifth, concluding stanza, of 'No Men Are Foreign' he talks of the extended impact of war. War doesn't affect just the lives on earth but it makes the Earth dirty. The fire and dust of war defile the pure air which is common to all the people on earth. Whenever war happens, it leads to a lot of bloodshed and death. The dead bodies accumulate on the Earth making the innocent earth impure. Therefore, with all the situations considered loss is common to all when we hate our fellow human beings. Since everyone is created equally on earth, he wants people to live in harmony. Finally, he repeats the first line "Remember, no men are foreign, and no countries strange" to revitalize the idea that everything is common and everyone is equal on earth.

No Men Are Foreign Poem Summary:

Introduction:
In the poem ‘No men are foreign’ the poet stresses the fact that all human beings are equal. He is requesting his countrymen to not treat people unequally. Moreover, the poet conveys that we are scarring the earth by shedding the blood of our brethren in wars. Therefore the poet is putting forth a request to people to live their lives in harmony on this beautiful earth that God has given us.

World fraternity:
Emphasising the value of universal brotherhood, the poet draws our attention to the absence of any differences amongst the people of different countries. He asks us never to forget that people living in other countries are not strange or unfamiliar. The uniforms worn by people in different parts of the world may be different, but the bodies beneath them are the same. All human bodies live and breathe in a similar fashion. We are all brothers because we walk upon the same earth that we have divided into countries. Also, we shall all meet this same earth when we die and be buried in it.

All men are our friends:
All the people of the world are nourished and nurtured equally by the elements of Nature like sun, air and water. We are all human beings. We have a common soul. Everyone is united by the sameness of spirit. Therefore wars and the bloodshed that takes place in the name of caste, class, creed and country are futile and must be condemned. They too prosper during peace but have to suffer poverty, hunger and even dread starvation caused by long-drawn wars. They too toil to earn the livelihood and their destiny is similar to ours.

We should remember that our eyes that wake, sleep and love are similar to eyes all over the world. The poet asks us to remember that the so-called ‘strange’ and ‘foreign’ people experience sleep and wakefulness like us. It is a fact that wherever we may be, we can win powerful strength with love. Their experiences of life are similar to those of ours. Hence, we all find something familiar in each other’s life and realise a common identity with one another.

Hate others and hate yourself:
The poet says whenever we are asked by our leaders or rulers to hate and exploit the people of other countries, we must remember that this hatred would have a negative effect on us. We should keep in mind that if we hate others it means that we hate ourselves. We would find ourselves cheated as it would deprive us of the bliss of universal brotherhood. We would condemn ourselves to a life of enmity and strangeness.

Mother Earth's mercy:
The poet again retells us in the end that people are contaminating this earth by their deeds. The fatal weapons emit fire and ashes that spread all over and pollute the environment. War is futile as it spoils the very earth for which we take up arms against each other. We should protect our atmosphere and keep in mind that this universe is the creation of God and we all are one. All will one day or the other die and return to earth only. This robs the air of its pureness and the world becomes a more difficult place to live in. The earth that one walks upon is the same for all people from diverse countries. People in every part of the world get the sunshine, air and water in equal methods. It is, therefore, imperative not to consider any human being as foreign and any country as strange. We must build common respect and trust.

Conclusion:
The poet tries to convey that one must shed the difference of opinion and be united and make this earth a haven. To treat anybody as a foreigner is an insult to the one who cultivates.

The importance of reading this poem "No Men are Foreign" written by "James Falconer Kirkup" is clearly described in the revised new syllabus as shown below,

1. This poem comes under the "Part-B" of the General English New Revised Syllabus.
2. It's also noticed separately in the "List of Poems". Where it consists of 25 poems & this poem is listed as number 5.

General English Syllabus-Wise Study Materials which includes, Part - B (Poetry)

1. Figures of Speech for No Men are Foreign (Alliteration – Simile – Metaphor – Personification – Onomatopoeia – Anaphora – Rhyme Scheme – Rhyming Words – Repetition, etc.)
2. Poetry Appreciation for No Men are Foreign
3. Important Lines for No Men are Foreign

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