Lots Wife, Akhmatovas Version
“Lot’s Wife” depicts the fate of a woman following her husband Lot on his departure of their native town Sodom. Sodom was a town that God destroyed, yet he granted Lot and his wife permission to flee the town before this occurrence. Wislawa Szymborska and Anna Akhmatova offer different versions and perspectives on the same story. Each of the authors use different elements of poetry to create two very unique poems that have several similarities as well as many obvious differences. These two different poems are mainly different because of the point of view differs in each poem. Another thing that makes an important difference is how each of the poems begin, each one begins with a different situation, as the speaker is also different. The structure also is different, which affects the fluidity of the poem and how it is read, almost working with or reinforcing the tone. It is ironic how similar tone is in these two poems, yet the structure in each varies significantly. There are different connotations in each of these poems also, making them different. Each of these pieces imply different things to different extents. Akhmatova’s version leaves an abundant amount of information to figure out for ourselves while Szymborska’s uses connotation in a manner which gives us more detail as to what is going on. Although there are many differences in the two different versions of the same poem, several things contribute to the similarities among them. One of the most noticeable similarities is of course the general theme the story line, and tone. All of the elements of poetry are prevalent in both pieces. They bring the reader through different emotions taking them to different endings of the same story, yet they leave the reader with almost identical impressions of what occurred. The poem’s structure influences how it is read. Structure affects all of the other elements of poetry either directly or indirectly. Akhmatova’s version of