Question 1:
‘Beneath all uniforms.... .’ What uniforms do you think the poet is speaking about ?
Answer:
By ‘uniforms’, the poet means the different dresses that the people wear in different parts of the world.
Question 2:
How does the poet suggest that all people on earth are the same ?
Answer:
All people have the same kind of body. They breathe the same air. They sleep and wake up in the same way. They also eat in the same way.
Question 3:
Find in stanza 1, five ways in which we all are alike. Pick out the words.
Answer:
We have the same kind of body. We breathe in the same way. We walk on the same earth. We live in the same world. And we shall all in the end mix with the same land or dust.
Question 4:
How many common features can you find in stanza 2 ? Pick out the words.
Answer:
We all enjoy the same sun, air and water. We all have harvests to feed ourselves when there is peace. We all have to starve when there is war. We all have the same kind of hands. And we all have to labour in our lives.
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 happens when we think ourselves different from others. Those who are bigots tell us to hate others. We shouldn’t pay any attention to such people. The poet says that when we hate others, we lose their love. We can win others through our love.
Question 6:
How does the poet show that no men are strange or foreign ?
Answer:
The poet says that all men have the same kind of body. They breathe in the same way. They have the same kind of hands. Their eyes sleep and wake up in the same way. Thus no men are strange or foreign.
Question 7:
How does the poet show that no countries are strange or foreign ?
Answer:
The poet says that everywhere it is the same earth that we walk on. It is the same sun, air and water that we enjoy. Everywhere there are the same people who labour in the same manner. Thus no countries are strange or foreign.
Question 8:
What does the poet say about hating others ?
Answer:
The poet says that when we hate others, we lose their love. By hating others, we hate ourselves only, because all others are our brothers. So we should never hate others.
Question 9:
What is the central idea of the poem, ‘No Men Are Foreign’ ?
Answer:
All men are the same. They have the same kind of body. They breathe in the same way. Thus no men are strange or foreign. We should never hate others. They are all our brothers. By hating others we lose their love. Thus the poet gives the message of love and brotherhood.