Chapter 6 of CBSE Class 9 English Beehive features a poem titled “No Men Are Foreign.” James Kirkup wrote the poem. Students may use the CBSE Class 9 English Beehive No Men Are Foreign Poem Summary and Explanatory notes to help them study for their exams.
Students get a thorough understanding of the poetry by consulting CBSE Class 9 English Notes. They might refer to the comments and summary during rewriting to get a sense of the poetry.
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CBSE Class 9 English notes will assist students in studying the topic thoroughly and clearly.
These CBSE Class 9 English notes were written by subject experts who made the study material very basic, both in terms of language and format.
Introduction
STANZA 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.
EXPLANATION
According to the poet, no one is a stranger to us.
There is nothing quite like a strange individual who is not from our immediate vicinity or who is not from our native land.
There is nothing quite like a country that is not our own to feel like a foreign one.
There may be differences in the way we eat, the way we speak, and the way we dress ourselves, but all of these things contribute to the overall uniformity of the population at large.
We are all made up of human beings. We may be members of different religious or social groups.
We may be different shades of colour, we may speak different languages, but above all, we are all just human beings with the same basic needs.
All of our differences are irrelevant because we are brothers.
We share up a common piece of land on which we all walk, on which we all do our respective jobs, and on which we all live and thrive.
At the end of our lives, we will all be buried somewhere on the planet.
STANZA 2
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.
EXPLANATION
In this stanza, the poet asserts that they, whom we refer to as strangers or foreigners, make use of the same resources as we do, including the sun, air, and water.
They are also aware of them, and there is no difference between the way we use them and how they use us.
As a result, the poet asserts that we do not have any foreigners among us.
They get their crops and eatables from the field in the same way that we do.
They value peace as much as we do. The same as we would have done during the war, they too must endure hardships and eventually perish from starvation.
As a result, there are no such things as foreigners because everything runs in parallel.
They accomplish their goals through the use of their physical strength.
as well as we do They, like us, communicate with one another through the use of language.
So, what exactly is the source of the strangeness? What is the location of the foreigners? In every way, we are similar to one another.
As a result, the poet emphasises that there is nothing that can be described as strange or foreign.
STANZA 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.
EXPLANATION
In this stanza, the poet questions how someone can be a stranger or how a country can be foreign when there is so much in common between them.
He claims that all of them, whom we refer to as strangers, have eyes that are similar to ours.
They, too, see the world in the same way that we do. On a daily basis, they, too, follow the course of the earth and sleep as well as awaken.
They, too, are highly sensitive, just like us. They have the same amount of strength as we do.
They, like us, are respectful of love and sympathy, and they, too, can be won over by these emotions.
Even they are willing to surrender to the wonderful feelings.
All in all, we can see that there is no difference in the way we live from one person to another.
Regardless of where we go, life follows a consistent mechanism that is easily identifiable and understandable.
After taking all of this into consideration, the poet is correct in stating that no man is strange and no country is foreign.
STANZA 4
Let us remember, whenever we are told
To hate our brother, it is ourselves
That we shall dispossess, betray, condemn.
Remember, we who take arms against each other
EXPLANATION
The poet has demonstrated that there is nothing strange or foreign about anything. Everything is framed in a similar manner.
We are all the same, and there is nothing that can be used to demonstrate that we are different.
Nonetheless, there are those among us who are opposed to it and who seek to undermine the sense of brotherhood by pitting one against the other and thereby destroying social as well as global harmony.
These few individuals compel us to take up arms against our brothers, to despise them, and to murder them in our rage.
When we act inappropriately toward our brothers while we are under the influence of this provocative emotion, we are only harming our own spirits.
We are abusing our own sense of tranquilly (peace).
Our brothers, with whom we should stand in solidarity, are subjected to the wrongs that we commit against them.
We are only degrading our own attractiveness, which is a slap in the face of humanity.
As a result, the poet urges people not to engage in such wrongdoing or to degrade human dignity.
STANZA 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.
EXPLANATION
The poet goes on to say that using force against our brothers not only pollutes our spirits, but it also pollutes the entire planet on which we live.
The hatred and jealousy that exists within our hearts outweighs the positive characteristics and innocence of the people.
We can never be justified in our actions when we are in a state of provocation, and we pollute our surroundings with the results of our deeds.
We make a grave error because we are intimidated by strangeness and foreigners. We must avoid making any of the mistakes listed above while under the pseudo (false) impression of possession and self.
Summery of the Poem
It is the concept of global brotherhood and equality that is the subject of the poem ‘No Men are Foreign.
‘ There is no place for any kind of prejudice in this poem (partiality).
According to the poet, the entire world is a single entity.
There is nothing quite like strangers or people from other countries.
Even though we come from different countries and have different religions or skin colours, we all share a common love feeling and a common life resource.
We must band together in order to make everyone’s life better.
When we hate one another, we are betraying the humanity of the human race. When we engage in armed conflict with one another, we contaminate the purity of this planet, which belongs to all of us.
No man is foreign and no country is powerful, and we should remember this when dealing with one another as humans.
Outro
SOLVED QUESTIONS & ANSWERS NCERT SOLVED QUESTIONS
1.(a) “Beneath all uniforms … ” What uniforms do you think the poet is speaking about?
(b) How does the poet suggest that all people on earth are the same?
Answer :
(a) The poet is speaking about ‘uniforms’ of different colours, castes, creeds, religions and nationalities of the people.
(b) The poet asserts that, while people of various nationalities may appear to be different from the outside, we are all human beings. We share the same physical structure, have the same needs, and consume the same resources.
2.In stanza 1, find five ways in which we all are alike. Pick out the words.
Answer : In following ways, we all are alike in stanza 1
(i) No men are strange.
(ii) No countries are foreign.
(iii) A single body breathes beneath all uniforms.
(iv) The land is same everywhere.
(v) The land where we all shall lie, is also the same.
3.How many common features can you find in stanza 2? Pick out the words.
Answer : Following common features can be found in stanza 2
(i) They, too, are aware of sun, air and water.
(ii) They, too, are fed by peaceful harvests.
(iii) Their hands are like ours.
(iv) In their lines we read.
(v) A labour nor different from our own.
4.” …. 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 : War criminals, motivated by self-interest in conquering and subjugating (conquering) others, incite ‘brothers’ to hate one another. They are the ones who warn us about impending wars.
No, we should not follow their lead. Other countrymen are identical to us. Thus, the poet is correct when he asserts that no man is strange and that no country is foreign.