Class 9 English — Chapter 12: No Men Are Foreign

What you'll learn

• ▸Universal Brotherhood
• ▸The Symbolism of 'Uniforms'
• ▸Shared Human Experiences and Needs
• ▸The Destructive Nature of War and Hatred
• ▸War's Pollution of the Earth
• ▸Poetic Device: Repetition
• ▸The Concept of 'Othering'

Chapter Summary

--- PAGE 1 --- No Men Are Foreign Have you ever thought of some people as strange, or other countries as ‘foreign’? We have many ways of thinking of other people as different from ‘us’, as ‘them.’ ‘They’ may belong to a different country, or speak a different language. In this poem, however, the poet reminds us of the many ways in which we are all the same — for we are all human. 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. 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. 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. Let us remember, whenever we are told To hate our brothers, it is ourselves T…

Practice Questions from this Chapter

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1. Explain cultural traditions that unite people. Get Solution →
2. Describe actions fostering global peace. Get Solution →
3. Identify everyday examples of human unity. Get Solution →
4. Who is the author of the poem 'No Men Are Foreign'? Get Solution →
5. According to the first stanza, what breathes beneath all uniforms? Get Solution →
6. What does the poem identify as a cause of starvation? Get Solution →
7. According to the glossary, what is the meaning of the word 'defile'? Get Solution →
8. The poem says 'Their hands are ours,' and in their lines we read what? Get Solution →

Did you know?

• 💡 All humans share over 99% of the same DNA.
• 💡 The air we breathe contains molecules that have traveled the entire globe.
• 💡 The first recorded peace treaty was signed over 3,200 years ago.
• 💡 Around 7,000 distinct languages are spoken globally, all by human voices.
• 💡 Every single person on Earth descended from a common ancestor in Africa.

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