No Men are Foreign Summary

No men is a foreign poem by poet James Kirkup is one of the best poems for teenagers. This article talks about all the different themes and a summary of the Poem No Men are Foreign by James Kirkup. The No Men are Foreign Poem Summary revolves around the concept of brotherhood and humanity. 

This writing focuses on the explanation, summary, and theme of the poem. This poem aims to instill in young minds the feeling of oneness or unity.

Explanation of The Poem No Men Are Foreign

Stanza 1:

In the first stanza, the poet introduces the theme of the poem. He states that no men are strange, and no country is foreign. He says that the body is the same for every individual, only the clothing created by men is different. Adding that the earth is also one and whole. The land we walk upon is similar to the land every individual walks upon. The poet stresses the fact that there are no divisions in us.

Stanza 2:

The second stanza of the poem stresses mother nature. The poet says that mother nature doesn’t discriminate and has provided each individual with the same harvest to keep us alive and well. Poet adds that we also get our equal share of land, sunlight, and air. Peaceful farmers feed us, and during winters when there is war and death, each one of us suffers together. The poet aims at showing us that we suffer and prosper together.

Stanza 3:

This stanza deals with love. The poet urges the reader to remember that we have similar features that perform a similar function – how then can we be different? He says apart from physical similarities, we also have emotional strength which can be won by love. He advises love as the remedy for war. He also asks the reader to remember that each land, whether we have visited it with our own eyes or not, has life. Life springs in every corner of the earth. These lovely things want to live and strive and laugh. They do not wish for war or death. The poet urges us to understand and recognize this.

Stanza 4:

The poet urges us to always remember that we are one and cannot be divided. He states that whenever we are told to condemn a certain person or country, it is us who makes a choice. It is us who chooses to pick up the arms. We should remember that killing another human being is not the solution to our problems. When we are in a state of war, both countries lose many human beings- no side wins, everybody in a war loses. The poet tells us to remember this when we decide on picking up the arms.

Stanza 5:

When two countries fight, it is the individuals who are at a loss. Death benefits no one. With war, we disrupt our natural balance, disrespect God, and make the earth impure. Whenever war happens dead bodies lay on barren ground, there’s fire everywhere. Poet compares the fire to hellfire and considers the dead bodies on the ground as making the earth impure. The poet provides us with a horrific picture of war and warns us against it. He then finishes the poem by writing the first line in reverse, thus solidifying the message.

Summary of the Poem No Men Are Foreign

The summary of the poem No men are foreign focuses on uniting us as humans. The first line of the poem deals with the overall message of the poem ‘no men are strange, and no country is foreign’. The poet James Kurkip in this poem discusses brotherhood and humanity. He condemns war and tries to fabricate it as the horrific crimes of all. He adds that human beings and the earth are the same. The people who live on every corner of the earth are similar and have similar thoughts.

The poem refers to the people of other countries. The poet condemns this discrimination and brings to light the unpartial nature of God who has given every land on the earth plenty of resources- be it air, sun, or water. He says that God didn’t create the boundaries, only we did. He also points out that during winter and war, each individual on the planet suffers. This shows that our joys are given by God but grieves human-made.

He adds that we have the same physical attributes and think the same way. He successfully explains that humans are all alike and have no natural differences. He further adds that when we decide to go into a war, we kill another of our same kind, whenever we choose to hate someone we choose to hate us. Before going into the war, we should take a moment and think of our actions, as in war, there are no winners.

The Theme of the Poem No Men Are Foreign

The central theme of the poem No Men are Foreign revolves around the brotherhood of all humankind. The poet points out that all our boundaries and differences are human-made. Throughout the poem, James Kirkup tries to show the similarities between all humans. He urges people to drop their weapons and welcome one another as part of their own to bring peace and love in this World without any hate or discrimination.

About James Falconer Kirkup, The Author of ‘No Men Are Foreign’:

The popular poetry ‘No Men Are Foreign’ is written by James Falconer Kirkup who was born on 23rd April 1918. He was an exemplary English poet, writer, and translator as well. In his lifetime he wrote 30 books that included novels, plays, and autobiography as well. James Falconer Kirkup was brought up in South Shields and completed his education atlines South Shields Secondary School and Durham University. His first book of poetry was published in 1947 and was entitled ‘The Drowned Sailor at the Downs’. He even became the first resident university poet in the United Kingdom. After living a life of honour and success, Mr Kirkup died on 10th May 2009