Refer to the poem "No Men are Foreign,"and say what shall happen if we take up arms against each other.

The essence of
Kirkup's poem is that in attacking others deemed foreign, we end up attacking our own and deny
the basic element that makes us human.The challenge here is that there might be some situations
where taking up arms against an aggressor is needed.To stop Hitler, for example, attacking
"our brothers" was a necessary step.Hitler was not listening to words nor was he
paying attention to much else.In rising up against Hitler, it could be argued that more of
"our brothers" and sisters were saved from death camps.On a more local level, the
situation at Columbine High School might be another moment where "taking up arms" was
a necessary step.Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris were approaching students and shooting them based
on random questions such as, "Do you believe in God?"Their rampage was borne out of a
deep seeded anger that could not have been stopped through discussion and empathy.In the end,
arms was needed to stop further aggression and save human life.I think that examples such as
these might lie outside the scope of where the poem is intending to take the reader.Another
alternative might be that we have to admit that we fall short of Kirkup's standard for universal
brotherhood when we take up arms against one another.Yet, it might be a criticism worth taking
if such an action is to prevent the loss of others' lives.]]>