8th Standard, English SL Poem 3
No Men are Foreign
Glossary:
beneath all uniforms: all are one though appearances a single body breathes are different.
peaceful harvests: to live with no hatred strength that can be
won by love: only love can win strength, not another form of strength.
our hells of fire and dust : reference to evil effects of war
uniforms: note that the poet has soldiers in his mind.
dispossess: to disown
betray: to be disloyal
condemn: to express a strong disapproval of some work
arms: fire arms
defile: make something impure
outrage: a very wrong or cruel act
starved: to go without food
long winter: winter which lasts for a long time; here it suggests hardship and suffering
C1 Answer the following questions and share your responses with your partner:
1. What does the poet remind us of in the first line of the poem?
Answer: The poet remind us of in the first line of the poem that there is no men are strange in the world and there are no countries are foreign in the universe.
2. What, according to the poet, are we doing when we hate others?
Answer: According to poet, we shall dispossess, betray and condemn them when we hate others.
3. What are the two bad effects of war? Read lines 16 to 19 and answer.
Answer: The two bad effects of war are,
1. It will kills the innocent people.
2. It will pollute the earth, air and water that is everywhere our own.
3. Hatred between the people will increase.
Read and Write:
C2 Read and discuss your responses with your partner. Then write.
1. How do you think we are all treated alike by nature?
Answer: The nature providing the natural resources like Sunlight, air and water to all the people of the universe equally. There is no discrimination in nature. Everyone have the right to cultivate this land and produce the food to live in this world. That is how we are all treated alike by the nature.
2. Read the third stanza carefully. What message does the poet want to convey to us?
Answer: ‘‘Everyone in the world like us. All the people have the eyes like ours that wake or sleep. We can won the hearts of our enemies by love. People have to free to live the common life in every land. This should be understand and recognize by all the people’’
This message was the poet want to convey to us.
3. Do you agree with the poet that we should wage no war? How do you justify that?
Answer: Yes. I agree with the poet that we should wage no war. Because,
1. It will kills the innocent people.
2. It will pollute the earth, air and water that is everywhere our own.
3. Hatred between the people will increase.
4. Some are of the opinion that the poet might have written this poem after witnessing the bad effects of the Second World War. Mention some of the lines in the poem to support that opinion.
Answer: Some are of the opinion that the poet might have written this poem after witnessing the bad effects of the Second World War. The lines in the poem to support that opinion are as follows.
( i) Like ours; the land our brothers walk upon
( ii) Beneath all uniforms, a single body breathes
( iii) Are fed by peaceful harvests, by war’s long winter starv’d,
( iv) Or sleep, and strength that can be won
( v) To hate our brothers, it is ourselves
( vi) Remember, we who take arms against each other
( vii) Our hells of fire and dust outrage the innocence
5. Briefly describe how a war spoils everything.
Answer: War spoils everything by causing widespread destruction and suffering: it leads to death and injury for soldiers and civilians, destruction of cities and infrastructure, economic collapse, and severe mental health problems like depression. Millions of people will die or are injured and leaving families. War causes trauma, stress, and lasting mental health issues, such as depression, for those who experience it. Wars drain treasuries, destroy industries, and lead to economic crises, causing widespread poverty and rising prices. Food production is slowed, leading to starvation, and essential resources become scarce. Wars break down the social order, creating fear, hatred, and a sense of loss in communities.
Suggested Reading: My Greatest Olympic Prize – Jesse Owens
