What happens when you die? A poetic inquiry

  • 268,113 Views
  • TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

Death, a kindly gentleman riding in a horse carriage, comes to collect a woman for her journey to the afterlife. So begins Emily Dickinson’s poem “Because I could not stop for Death,” an exploration of both the uncertainties of death and its inevitability. Dive into one of Dickinson’s most celebrated works, which speaks to life’s greatest mystery: what happens when you die?


Customize this lesson58

Create and share a new lesson based on this one.

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Poet Emily Dickinson
  • Director Petra Balekić
  • Narrator Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Sound Designer Andrea Martignoni
  • Music Andrea Martignoni
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Associate Editorial Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
Additional Resources for you to Explore
Emily Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts, where the Emily Dickinson Museum is not located to commemorate her legacy. To learn more about her poetry, watch this lesson by Crash Course and read more poems by Dickinson here.
0 Guided Discussions
1 Open Discussion
Start a discussion
Avatar for Alan Huerta
Alan Huerta
What happens when you died.
The true is that anybody that is in live knows about this. The bible give us information that is going be a place for good people and bad people but the true is that anybody know about it. The only way to know about dead is leaving this world.
12/17/2020 • 
 6 Responses
 / 6 Updates
View Discussion

Customize this lesson

Create and share a new lesson based on this one.

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Poet Emily Dickinson
  • Director Petra Balekić
  • Narrator Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Sound Designer Andrea Martignoni
  • Music Andrea Martignoni
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Associate Editorial Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott

More from There's a Poem for That