A Glimpse into the Life of a Reclusive Poet

I visited the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst, Massachusetts and was fascinated by the life of the reclusive poet. The museum is split between two houses, the Homestead where Emily was born and lived for most of her life, and the Evergreens which was her brother's house next door. The tour guide painted a vivid picture of Emily's life and shared some of her most famous poems. What stood out to me was how ahead of her time she was in terms of social norms and values. Her poetry dealt with themes such as death, spirituality, and solitude, which were not common topics for women of her era. I also learned that only ten of her almost 1800 poems were published during her lifetime. It was a truly inspiring experience.