No Men are foreign - Beehive - Class 9 - CBSE English

James Kirkup (1918-2009) was an English poet, translator, and travel writer. He is known for his poetry that often deals with themes of love, nature, and human relationships. Kirkup was also a pacifist and his anti-war beliefs are reflected in his work. He wrote several collections of poetry and translated the works of many poets from various languages into English. Kirkup spent a significant part of his life traveling and writing about his experiences, and his travels greatly influenced his poetry. Throughout his career, he received many awards for his contributions to literature, including the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry in 1999.

"No Men are Foreign" by James Kirkup is a poem that reminds us of the common humanity that we share with people from all over the world. Kirkup argues that no person or country is strange or foreign, as we are all connected by our basic human experiences. He asserts that beneath all uniforms, there is a single body that breathes like ours, and that the land that our brothers walk upon is no different from our own. Kirkup emphasizes that people everywhere are aware of the sun, air, and water, and are fed by peaceful harvests. Even those who suffer from war are not fundamentally different from us, and their labor is not different from our own. Kirkup urges us to remember that we all have eyes that wake and sleep, and strength that can be won by love. He argues that in every land, there is a common life that we can all recognize and understand. Kirkup reminds us that when we are told to hate our brothers, we are actually betraying ourselves. He argues that taking up arms against each other is a violation of the earth that we all share, and that we must reject violence in all its forms. In the end, Kirkup's poem is a call for peace, love, and understanding, and a reminder that we are all connected by our common humanity.

Unity and Commonality of Humanity

The poem highlights the commonality of human experience across nations and cultures. The poet urges readers to recognize that, despite cultural, linguistic, and geographic differences, all people share the same basic needs, emotions, and desires. The poem argues that there is no such thing as a foreigner, and that all people, regardless of their nationality or ethnicity, are part of a single human family.

War and Its Consequences

The poem also touches upon the devastating.................................

The use of the phrase "single body" implies a................................................

1. Repetition: The phrase "remember" is repeated several times throughout the poem to emphasize the importance of the message.
2. Metaphor: The poem employs metaphorical language to describe ...................

Dispossess : Dislodge; deprive

Defile : make dirty; pollute

Outrage the innocence of : violate the purity of 

Foreign: Belonging to..............................