LOT’S WIFE BY ANNA AKHMATOVA ACTIVITY

QUESTIONS:
1. What is the poem about?
The poem is about the retelling of Lot's story together with his family when they were escaping
or running away from the flames and wrath of Sodom, in the perspective of his wife. It shares
the side of a woman and a mother about her home and where she grew up and created a
family. When Lot's family was fleeing from the consequences of the people’s evil actions in their
city, they were led to safety by an angel and were advised not to turn back, for they will turn into
a pillar of salt.

Lot's wife was following her husband but feels a cry of anguish and pain inside her that there is
still time to look back and witness the last remains of her city and home. The author describes
the feelings of the woman towards her home and reminisces her fond memories of it as an
individual and with her family. It is the place where she sang, wove, bore, and raised their
children. Afterward, Lot's wife decided to turn around and see how the flames devour her home.
Her eyes and heart burning with pain for it, her body becomes a pillar of salt, and that was her
last step before her death. Even if Lot's wife faced a brutal ending and the author acknowledges
that who would weep for someone like her. She expresses her sympathy for the woman who
sacrificed her life for the last glance of her homeland.
2. What is rhythm? Describe the rhythm in the poem.
Rhythm is an audible pattern in verse established by the intervals between stressed syllables.
“Rhythm creates a pattern of yearning and expectation, of recurrence and difference,” observes
Edward Hirsch in his essay on rhythm, “Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking.”

There are five types of rhythm, and these are iamb, trochee, spondee, dactyl, and anapest. The
iamb is the most commonly used rhythm, consisting of two syllables.

The rhythm of the poem “Lot's Wife” by Anna Akhmatova is an iamb where the first syllable is
not stressed, while the second syllable is stressed.
3. What is meter? Describe the meter in the poem.
Meter imposes specific length and emphasis on a given line of poetry. It is the basic rhythmic
structure of a line within a poem that consists of two components, including the number of
syllables and a pattern of emphasis on those syllables.

A line of poetry can be broken into “feet,” which are individual units within a line of poetry. A foot
of poetry has a specific number of syllables and a specific pattern of emphasis. The common
types of meter in poetry are monometer, dimeter, trimeter, tetrameter, pentameter, hexameter,
heptameter, and octameter.

The poem consists of an iambic pentameter with a total of ten syllables per line.
References:
 Poetry Foundation. Rhythm. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/learn/glossary-
terms/rhythm
 Literary Devices. Rhythm. https://literarydevices.net/rhythm/
 Collins, B. (2020). MasterClass. https://www.masterclass.com/articles/poetry-101-what-
is-meter-learn-the-difference-between-qualitative-and-quantitative-meter-in-poetry-with-
examples#what-is-meter-in-poetry