Akhmatova"s version of this piece is organized into four stanzas. Akhmatova"s version includes line breaks ( hence the four stanzas ) that emphasize different portions of the poem, while Szymborska"s line breaks seem random because they do not structurally affect the poem. Szymborska"s poem is very fluid because she doesn"t separate the lines into stanzas as Akhmatova does. This shows us that different structures can be appropriate considering compatibility with the placement of other elements of poetry. Structure has a direct effect on the rhythm of a poem. Szymborska"s structure (or lack thereof) allows the reader to continuously read from beginning to end, as if the whole poem was one complete thought. Akhmatova"s version also offers a simple rhyme scheme that allows thereader to read the piece in a rhythmic manner. The rhythm of the poem almost shows us that it is all one chain of thoughts spoken continuously, almost as if it were all one emotion, whereas in Akhmatova"s version it is rhythmic but in a more powerful manner, partially because of the third person point of view. This point of view offers a greater difference from someone who is involved in the situation. This is often a powerful technique whether in poetry or literature of any kind, because it offers a clear and unbiased view on things. Akhmatova emphasizes the ending of the poem more so than Szymborska, because the structure of Akhmatova"s depicts the whole last stanza as the ending. It draws everything into question hinting towards the end as opposed to Szymborska"s where she structurally does nothing to foreshadow the ending for us, but merely concludes her poem with a matter of fact statement.

             regarding the possibility of having fallen facing the city. Akhmatova"s poem characterizes the subject of the poem in a way that implies to the reader that she was a woman of little significance. She does this connotatively with her diction, especially when she says things such as "Who will grieve for this woman?" and "Does she not seem too insignificant for our concern?".