GSEB Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 6 No Men are Foreign Solutions

Thinking about the Poem

Question 1. "Beneath all uniforms ..." What uniforms do you think the poet is speaking about?
Answer: The poet is likely talking about the uniforms worn by soldiers during wartime. The term "uniform" here could also mean the traditional clothes of various countries.
In simple words: The poet means military uniforms, but also any traditional clothing that makes people seem different.

Exam Tip: When analyzing poetry, consider both the literal and symbolic meanings of words like "uniforms."

Question 2. How does the poet suggest that all people on earth are the same?
Answer: The poet suggests that all people on earth are similar because they breathe, are buried, wake, sleep, hate, love, and work. The sun, air, and water are equally important for everyone. Everyone needs peace and experiences suffering from hunger during conflicts.
In simple words: We all breathe, sleep, and feel the same things, and we all need sun, air, and water to live, showing we are alike.

Exam Tip: To score well, list specific similarities the poet highlights, such as basic human functions and universal needs.

Question 3. In stanza 1, find five ways in which we all are alike. Pick out the words.
Answer: The words that suggest five ways we are all similar are:
Each of us has a similar body.
All of us breathe
All of us walk
All of us lie
We live and die on the same earth
In simple words: The poem shows we all have bodies, breathe, walk, lie down, and live on the same planet.

Exam Tip: When asked to "pick out words," directly quote phrases from the poem that support your answer.

Question 4. How many common features can you find in stanza 2 ? Pick out the words.
Answer: There are five common features in stanza 2. These features are the sun, the air, the water, peaceful harvest, hands and the labour.
In simple words: Stanza 2 talks about five shared things: the sun, air, water, good harvests, and hands that work.

Exam Tip: Be precise when counting and listing features from a specific stanza to avoid losing marks.

Question 5. 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: This typically happens during wartime when leaders instruct people to dislike other countries. They do this for their own personal benefits. However, we should not behave like puppets in their control or follow their commands. We ought to understand that war is pointless and carefully analyze the situation before making quick judgments. The poet says that if we fight against others, we are actually harming and condemning ourselves.
In simple words: Leaders tell us to hate during wars for their own gain. We shouldn't listen; fighting just hurts us all.

Exam Tip: For analytical questions, always provide reasons ("why") and state the poet's message clearly, often using their own words or closely paraphrasing.

GSEB Class 9 English No Men are Foreign Additional Important Questions and Answers

Reading Comprehension

Read the following stanzas and answer the questions given below them :

Question 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.
Questions:
(1) What does the poet ask us to remember?
(2) Identify and explain the Figure of Speech in the line: 'Like ours: the land our brothers walk upon.'
(3) Identify and explain the Figure of Speech in the line: 'Is earth like this, in which we all shall lie.'
Answer:
(1) The poet asks us to recall that no person in the entire world is different from us, and we live on the same earth created by God, so no country is a foreign place. We are all residents of the same world.
(2) The Figure of Speech in the line: 'Like ours: the land our brothers walk upon' is Simile. There is a clear comparison between 'we' and 'other human beings on the earth,' and the word indicating this comparison is 'like'.
(3) The Figures of Speech in the line: 'Is earth like this, in which we all shall lie' are:
(i) Simile
(ii) Euphemism
(i) There is an explicit comparison between the part of the earth that belongs to us and the part of the same earth on which other human beings live. The identical word of comparison is 'like'.
(ii) The part of the line 'we shall all lie' refers to 'death'. Thus, the mention of 'death' is made by using the soft or pleasing word 'lie'. Hence, 'Euphemism'.
In simple words: (1) We should remember that everyone is the same, and all countries are connected. (2) 'Like ours' is a Simile because it compares things using 'like'. (3) 'We all shall lie' uses both Simile and Euphemism, comparing our land to others and gently referring to death.

Exam Tip: When asked to identify and explain a Figure of Speech, name it first, then clearly state what is being compared or how the literary device functions in the given line.

Question 2. 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
Questions:
(1) What, according to the poet, should we not forget?
(2) What is the general tendency of people that we should discourage?
(3) How can we not spare ourselves from being victims of enmity?
Answer:
(1) According to the poet, we should not forget that we are not meant to hate other human beings living on the earth for any reason.
(2) It is a common tendency for people, whether in a neighborhood, society, state, or country, to not accept others as their own. We become disloyal to them or often blame them for our problems. We should discourage all these practices because we, all over the earth, are siblings, sons and daughters of the same Father – God.
(3) When being prepared to fight with others, we should keep in mind that they are not different from us. Therefore, if we take up weapons against them, in a way, we are fighting against ourselves and will not gain anything from it. On the contrary, we are harming ourselves.
In simple words: (1) The poet wants us to remember not to hate others. (2) We should stop blaming others and seeing them as separate, because we are all one family. (3) Fighting others means hurting ourselves and gaining nothing.

Exam Tip: When questions have multiple parts, ensure each part is addressed completely in your answer, maintaining clarity and logical flow.

Question 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.
Questions:
(1) What similarities are shown between us and other human beings on the earth?
(2) How can strength be won?
(3) What can all recognise and understand?
Answer:
(1) All human beings on this earth are equal and share many similarities. Their body structure is alike. When sleeping or waking, their eyes remain similar to ours.
(2) The poet emphasizes that no individual or country should be proud of its strength or power. If strength is gained through love, it is simple. But if it is tried to be won hatefully, one is likely to experience negative outcomes.
(3) Everyone can recognize and understand that in every land, meaning in every part of the whole world, all human beings are equal and share a common way of life.
In simple words: (1) We all have similar bodies and eyes that wake and sleep. (2) True power is gained through love, not hate. (3) Everyone can understand that people globally are equal and live a common life.

Exam Tip: Focus on drawing direct connections between the poetic lines and the questions asked to show a clear understanding.

Question 4. They, too, aware of sun and air and water.
Are fed by peaceful harvests, by war's long winter starved.
Their hands are ours, and in their lines, we read
A labour not different from our own.
Questions:
(1) What are they also aware of?
(2) Why is the adjective 'peaceful' before harvests?
(3) What does the phrase 'in their lines' suggest?
Answer:
(1) They, meaning those who are different from us—all other citizens of the world—are conscious of the fact that they also receive sunlight, air, and water, all free of cost, just as we do. Thus, there is no difference between us and them.
(2) Usually, when war is happening, there is no peace. Food and other essential goods become scarce. People die from hunger. But when there is no war, meaning peace, people have enough to consume and sustain themselves, hence 'peaceful harvests'.
(3) The phrase 'in their lines' means 'in conformity with them'. Here, the poet wants to state that all over the world, people perform different tasks to earn their livelihood. If we consider the word 'labour' broadly, it means 'the various ways of earning money'; they are consistent with everyone in the world.
In simple words: (1) They also know about sun, air, and water, just like us. (2) 'Peaceful' describes harvests because without war, there's enough food. (3) 'In their lines' means that their work and ways of making a living are just like ours.

Exam Tip: For phrases like "in their lines," explain both the literal meaning (lines on hands) and the figurative meaning (their destiny, their work patterns) within the context of the poem.

Question 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.
Questions:
(1) How do we defile the human earth?
(2) Identify the Figure of Speech in the line:'Our hells of fire and dust outrage the innocence'.
(3) What does the poet mean by the words 'innocence of air that is everywhere our own.'
Answer:
(1) We pollute the human earth by hating one another and causing animosity among us. People around the world usually fight for their ego or power, waging war for no benefit. This is how we contaminate the earth.
(2) The Figures of Speech in the line – ‘Our hells of fire and dust outrage the innocence' are:
• Metaphor and
• Personification
(i) There is an implicit comparison of 'hells of fire and dust'. Even 'fire and dust' represent 'war'. When war takes place, we find nothing but sheer destruction, like 'fire and dust'.
(ii) Personification because 'hells' are given the human quality of 'enraging'.
(3) Here, the words – 'innocence of air' suggest that usually air is clean, but when war happens, because of 'fire and dust', the air becomes polluted, and that is 'enragement'.
In simple words: (1) We make the earth unclean by fighting each other out of ego or power, which doesn't help anyone. (2) 'Our hells of fire and dust outrage the innocence' uses Metaphor (comparing war to hells) and Personification (giving human feelings to hells). (3) 'Innocence of air' means the air is usually pure, but war's dust and fire spoil it, making it angry.

Exam Tip: For complex lines involving multiple figures of speech, break down each device and explain its effect on the meaning of the line.

Figures of Speech

Choose the Figures of Speech in the following lines :

Question 1. 'Remember, no men are strange, no countries foreign'.
A. Repetition
B. Litotes
C. Metaphor
D. Both 'A' and 'B'
Answer: (D) Both 'A' and 'B'
In simple words: The line repeats 'no' (Repetition) and states something positively by denying its opposite (Litotes, meaning 'not strange' implies familiar).

Exam Tip: Recognize Litotes when a positive statement is expressed by negating its opposite, often for emphasis. Repetition is easier to spot when a word or phrase is used multiple times.

Question 2. 'Beneath all uniforms, a single body breathes like ours'.
A. Simile
B. Repetition
C. Anastrophe
D. Both 'A' and 'B'
Answer: (A) Simile
In simple words: This line uses 'like' to compare how a body breathes to 'ours', making it a Simile.

Exam Tip: A Simile always uses "like" or "as" to make a comparison between two different things, which is a key identifying feature.

Question 3. 'Are fed by peaceful harvests, by war's long winter starved.
A. Transferred Epithet
B. Metaphor
C. Alliteration
D. All of these three
Answer: (D) All of these three
In simple words: This line uses "Transferred Epithet" (peaceful harvests, long winter), "Metaphor" (war's long winter), and "Alliteration" (war's winter), so all options are correct.

Exam Tip: For lines with multiple literary devices, identify each one and ensure your chosen answer includes all applicable figures of speech.

Question 4. 'Their hands are ours, and in their lines, we read'.
A. Metonymy
B. Synecdoche
C. Metaphor
D. Allegory
Answer: (B) Synecdoche
In simple words: 'Hands' here represent the whole person or their labor, which is an example of Synecdoche.

Exam Tip: Remember that Synecdoche uses a part to represent the whole (e.g., "hands" for people) or the whole to represent a part.

Question 5. 'That we shall dispossess, betray, condemn'.
A. Repetition
B. Anastrophe
C. Climax
D. Consonance
Answer: (C) Climax
In simple words: The words "dispossess, betray, condemn" show ideas building up in intensity, which is a Climax.

Exam Tip: Climax in rhetoric refers to a series of words or ideas arranged in a sequence of increasing importance or intensity.

Question 6. 'Our hells of fire and dust outrage the innocence'.
A. Consonance
B. Metaphor
C. Simile
D. Climax
Answer: (B) Metaphor
In simple words: The phrase "hells of fire and dust" is a Metaphor for the destructive nature of war, comparing it indirectly to hell.

Exam Tip: A Metaphor makes a direct comparison without using "like" or "as," equating one thing to another to suggest a shared quality.

Answer the following questions in three to four sentences each:

Question 1. Write the central theme of the poem ‘No Men Are Foreign'.
Answer: James Kirkup conveys a message of unity and brotherhood to all people globally. He tells us that no one is truly strange or foreign. Everyone understands the significance of the sun, air, and water, highlighting shared human experiences.
In simple words: The poem teaches that we are all brothers and sisters, sharing the same basic needs and planet, so no one should be seen as an outsider.

Exam Tip: When asked for a central theme, state the main idea clearly and support it with key concepts from the poem, like unity and shared humanity.

Question 2. 'Are fed by peaceful harvests.' What does it imply?
Answer: The poet suggests that all people are equal; no one is foreign. People may belong to different countries or regions, but they all desire peace. Peace brings wealth and never leads to conflict, ensuring everyone has enough to eat.
In simple words: This line means that when there is peace, people have good harvests and enough food to survive, showing everyone's basic need for a calm world.

Exam Tip: Connect the phrase directly to the broader message of peace and its benefits, rather than just explaining "harvests."

Question 3. 'Our hells of fire and dust outrage the innocence of air. Explain.
Answer: The poet conveys that hatred pollutes the air we breathe. We only create a living hell if we fight among ourselves, destroying the innocent atmosphere. All prosper only in a calm environment, not one filled with conflict.
In simple words: This means our hatred and wars fill the air with smoke and dirt, hurting the clean air we all share and making life difficult for everyone.

Exam Tip: Explain the figurative language ("hells of fire and dust," "innocence of air") by relating it to the destructive impact of human conflict on the environment and society.

Question 4. Give the central idea of the poem 'No Men Are Foreign'.
Answer: The poem is clearly a strong appeal for universal brotherhood. It highlights the fact that people from different countries have the same physical, mental, and emotional experiences. Their destiny is similar, and they are in no way different, even if they wear distinct clothes and speak various languages. Nobody should be seen as a stranger, and no country should be considered foreign. The poet emphasizes the uselessness of hating those from other nations. When we wage war against others, we only defile our own earth. The dust and smoke from war weapons pollute the very air we all breathe. Therefore, we should never fight with others. We should remember that all of us are children of the same God. When there is no real difference between us and them, there is no place for hatred, violence, or war.
In simple words: The main idea is that everyone on Earth is alike, sharing the same feelings and needs, regardless of where they live or what they wear. Hating others or fighting wars only harms us all, as we are all connected and share this one world.

Exam Tip: A comprehensive central idea should cover the themes of unity, common humanity, and the futility of war, explaining how these messages are conveyed.

No Men are Foreign Summary in English

No Men are Foreign Introduction:

James Falconer Kirkup (23 April 1918 -10 May 2009) was an English poet, translator, and travel writer. He wrote over 30 books, including autobiographies, novels, and plays.

No Men are Foreign Summary:

The poem tells us that all divisions based on nation, caste, color, creed, or religion are baseless since we all are similar in our basic need for common resources to live. We all share a common origin and are dependent on the same resources for our survival. Since we are all the same, we must reject all forms of violence and unite to make our lives better.

'Uniforms' here symbolize the armies of different countries who are always at war in the name of nationhood, religion, or caste. 'Single body' breathing refers to the inherent similarity among all human beings. 'Peaceful harvests' refer to the fact that progress only happens during times of peace that civilization experiences.

It is only during peaceful times that everyone lives in harmony and contentment. In fact, if a war is happening in a country, that country faces the danger of starvation since all production comes to a complete halt.