Is a Moment Enough?

Hi Class! Here’s a video that evokes a reaction whenever I watch it:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kX_3y3u5Uo&feature=player_detailpage[/youtube]

What is your reaction to the video? Share something beyond, “I liked/disliked it.” Remember, a great response always includes several reasons.  Here are some guiding questions to help you:

  • What thoughts did you have while viewing the video?
  • What words in the lyrics did you connect with?
  • What is the significance of Remembrance Day for you?
  • How do we ensure the people who have fought for our freedoms are never forgotten?

As always, you are encouraged to add your own thoughts too! Posts are due by the end of Wednesday (November 6).

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61 Responses to Is a Moment Enough?

  1. Matther E says:

    this video made me feel sad

  2. matthew says:

    this video is really sad because to think that soldiers died for us and he just does not even take to munites out of his year to thanks them is horrific

  3. Madison says:

    I liked it because it should how important it is to have feelings and showing them I wish everyone was as caring as some people I know. 🙁

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Please revise your post, it is confusing to read. You state that it showed how important feelings are. What were the feelings you saw in the video?

      More details are expected for this writing activity.

  4. sydney says:

    Remembrance day. Who fought for our freedom? The soldiers. My reaction is that people still do remember and they are still fighting for what is right. Secondly this is a great video for people that are still fighting to give them courage. Take two minutes of your time, That is the words that connect with me because so many people do not do this, furthermore it is the least you can do for the people who fought. Take two minutes of your time connects with me because it symbolizes courage strength and you are remembering. I hope that nobody my age has to feel the way some of those kids felt because that is terrifying. Ripped away from there families. Even though nobody in this class fights in the war , we will still remember.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your thoughts Sydney. Terrifying is a great word to describe a feeling!

      Quick Fix:
      – Remembrance Day is a proper noun and must be capitalized.
      there/their/they’re (click for some practice)

      • Madison says:

        To me the video was…………………………. not enough to show for what those warriors really did and how much we showed respect them so ya ya it shows that we half to remember but dose it really show what we should remember them for or why they died no so really it was a bad video and didn’t show any thing really.:(

        • Mr. Bell says:

          Your ideas are appreciated Madison, but your are expected to present your writing as explained in this post. Present your reaction with a big idea supported by several details. Please structure your ideas into sentences. Using many periods (………………..), jargon like ‘ya ya’, and one run on sentence is unacceptable for this writing activity.

  5. Alexa says:

    Though my life I have never really cared about Remembrance day or understood how important the holiday was. Now after I watched the video I have a new appreciation for all those men and woman who went to war to fight for Canada’s rights. When I watched the video the first time I saw it I got board and went back to my slide shows. The second time watching the video I had an emotional connection when all the soldiers where saying goodbye to their families and possibly never going to see them again. For that big of a risk and what they sacrifice for our safety there is no greater act of kindness. I really connected with the little girl and it made me think of not having a dad growing up, how challenging it would be to never see him again. I do not know how families go though every day knowing that they will never see there loved one again!

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Great writing Alexa! You mention how someone your age struggles to appreciate the significance of Remembrance Day. Is it important for current and future generations to learn from the experiences of veterans? How can other children experience the emotional connection you mention?

      Quick Fix:
      – There is a difference between board and bored.

  6. tj says:

    this video was very powerful. thinking of my great grandpa because if he did not live through the war my grandpa would not be here and that means my dad wouldn’t be here and I also wouldn’t be here

    • Mr. Bell says:

      You have a great idea here T.J.! Now, take more time and attention to turn it into a paragraph with more details and sentences. What images or words in the video led you to connect to your family?

  7. Sarah says:

    This video made me feel sad/unhappy because some people don’t bow their head and don’t think about you served for us. Remembrance day for me is all these people died for freedom and some people think no big deal but it is a big deal, war is not a nice thing and I think that people should respect those people who died and lived,All the things they have seen.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your thoughts Sarah. You’ve done well to explain the lack of respect some people display making you unhappy, could you elaborate on the type of sadness you are describing?

  8. aliya says:

    1.The video made me sad because other people died so all of us can have a good country and live in peace and I think the song really expressed that.
    2.I think my favourite part was;” for the boys and the girls who have died and in peace may they rest”because my grandmas first husband died in war.
    3. hope for peace because war is sad and my cousin is in the army and I would be really sad if it happed again and it is really unfortunate that war started out and so many lost ones died.
    4.to wear a poppy and take some time to thank them for what they did for all of us.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for sharing all of these details Aliya. Were any stories passed along to you from your grandma?

      Rather than write a numbered list, one of our goals is to write in paragraphs. Can you connect your thoughts into a single paragraph with one main idea, or are a few paragraphs needed?

  9. serena says:

    I feel sad for those people that never made it home because they really didn’t have time to even say goodbye to their family and they would never see their loved ones again. When I think of it , it makes me feel sad for the ones that lost people they loved and even kids went to war I can’t even imagine how much hurt their parents would of had when they had someone come to their door and tell them that their child had died in the war. I hope war never happens again.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks Serena, your post is well thought out and makes strong connections. Well done! I like how you describe the sadness with connections to family and loved ones.

  10. Kiira says:

    Every year near Remembrance Day I would hear people talk about it, I would see the tears in their eyes and wonder why. This year I’ve done a lot more to do with Remembrance Day I now know why. I’ve figured out how important the day is to people and why we celibate it. when I watched the video the first time I really didn’t know what was happening because I didn’t pay attention. I just thought it was some guy singing a song about peace. The second time watching I got really emotional because I then realized what the message was that he was trying to get out there. In addition I was able to connect a lot more actually knowing and understanding the meaning of Remembrance day. I was also able to connect because my uncle had fought in the Iraq war and nearly died in a bomb explosion, and is now severely injured in the arms and legs. I now know what Remembrance day is all about and I will continue to remember the soldiers who died and fought for us.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts Kiira. Were there any images or lyrics that helped you gain more understanding? Your connection to family is great. How do you see the stories being passed along to future family members?

      Quick Fix:
      – Use celebrate (not celibate). In fact, it makes more sense to say we ‘observe’ Remembrance Day rather than celebrate it.

  11. matthew says:

    This video is really sad because to think that soldiers died for us and he just does not even take to minutes out of his year to thanks them is horrific!

  12. gurisha says:

    I am very sad/frustrated with this video because, there were soldiers that fought for our freedom, and the risked their lives for us. Thousands of dads, sons,brothers,and husbands got taken away from their families for war. We have to acknowledge what they have done for us. I am also very frustrated because the ignorant people in the video do not under stand what is feels like to have one of your loved ones ripped away from you, for who knows how many years. Furthermore, even if they didn’t have a family member in war, they should still know that the soldiers fought for us and our freedom. I have a grandpa that has served in war, and the fact that has happened makes me very emotional. So what, 2 minutes is not a big deal. We are all capable of staying silent fr 2 minutes and remembering those who have fought for us. <3

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Your passionate response is wonderful to read – well done! Remember that women have fought for our freedoms too!

      Quick Fix:
      – When typing, be sure to put a space after a comma.
      – Understand is a compound word (one word).

  13. Sam says:

    Remembrance day should be a event lasting forever, none should forget what other people endured to keep our planet safe. This video always perplexes me, because there are so many details which connect with everyone, first; Everyone understands that wars will be extremely hard to prevent, and when war occurs many millions of people will join the fight against it. Second; Everybody knows that WW3 is very well possible and that would end the world, if people could work together the whole world would be a much better place. Third; If wars where prevented and never repeat the events of WW2 most of world poverty would be eliminated. Furthermore, Everyone knows that if money didn’t exist greed, wars, etc… This video made made me feel tearful knowing that millions of lives where sacrificed for many other kids, teens, and adults, like me.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      You’ve used some lovely words like endured, perplexes, tearful and sacrificed – well done! What must happen for people to work together more amicably?

      Quick Fix:
      – Use a comma after transition words rather than a semicolon ;
      – To simplify its use, a semicolon connects related ideas without using ‘and’ or ‘but’.

  14. matthew says:

    This video is really sad because to think that soldiers died for us and he just does not even take two minutes out of his year to thanks them is horrific! Why would he not stop when all the people were, even if he does not care he can at least do it even if he does not care,He should for the respect of other people.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Using a question is a great way to make the reader engage in the topic. Wouldn’t you think that a question mark is necessary when asking a question?

      Take a moment to revise by adding more punctuation to:

      “Why would he not stop when all the people were, even if he does not care he can at least do it even if he does not care,He should for the respect of other people.”

  15. Sarah says:

    The type of sadness I am feeling is that people have died and in this video all the soldiers come though the store and it reminds me how many families have lost part of their family.

  16. Gabrielle says:

    It made me feel sad because my grandpa was in ww2 he was a pilot and the video made me think of him. Remembrance day to me means to take one moment out of your whole day and just remember. Thank them for what they did for us. Got us a free country. Served for they are the bravest men in our country. They don’t get to go home every day after work to see their family. To remember them everyday we have to keep “celebrating” remembrance day have those moments of silence.

  17. Gabrielle says:

    First of, it made me feel sad because my grandpa was in ww2 he was a pilot and the video made me think of him. Second, remembrance day to me means to take one moment out of your whole day and just remember. Thank them for what they did for us. Got us a free country. They were the bravest men in our country. They don’t get to go home every day after work to see their family. Finally, to remember them everyday we have to keep “celebrating” remembrance day have those moments of silence.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts and connections Gabby. Have any stories been passed from your grandpa to you? Will you pass the stories along to future family members? You raise a great point about the freedoms we enjoy because of the men and women who have fought for us.

      Quick Fix:
      – Remember proper nouns are capitalized: WWII, Remembrance Day.

  18. Asia says:

    The video made me feel really sad because it made me think of all the soliders we lost in the war. I think it’s important to have Remembrance Day because if we didn’t then we wouldn’t even think twice about it and we’d forget about how courageous the soliders were while fighting for our country. The video reminds you that you shouldn’t take life for granted and we should all be thankful for what we have. We have to make sure that the brave soldiers will never be forgotten and Remembrance Day should be continued forever.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your thoughts Asia! You make a superb point about not taking life for granted and being thankful for what we have. This video puts things into perspective and it is a great reminder to persevere when things do not always go as planned. Even our toughest, most frustrating days pale in comparison to what veterans endured and continue to endure to this day.

  19. Mariah says:

    During this video I felt upset that one of the men did not respect the solders for the two moments of silence. Although the song was kind of upsetting that people have to fight in War and get separated from their own families. It was sad because some people don’t even care about that and do not appreciate them without all the people or children that went to War he wouldn’t be able to have freedom.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts Mariah. ‘Upset’ is a great word to describe the feeling many of the views have while watching this video. One irony about point you make regarding the freedoms we have is that people are free not to remember if they choose.

  20. tj says:

    this video was very powerful. thinking of my great grandpa because if he did not live through the war my grandpa would not be here and that means my dad wouldn’t be here and I also wouldn’t be here.My favorite part of the video is when the familys are leaving in the big truck when the soldiers leave

    • Mr. Bell says:

      You’ve made some good additions since your initial post – well done. Now, take some time to format your sentences properly. Pay attention to capitalization and punctuation. Add more details (or connections) to your final thought about the big truck – what did you like about these images?

      Quick Fix:
      – When a noun ends in ‘y’ (family) how do you write it as a plural noun?

  21. Sarah says:

    The type of sadness I am feeling when watching this video is hurting because of al the people that died.

  22. Beau says:

    The soldiers fought for our freedom and for us.
    First of all, people should remember those who fought
    and served for our country because taking a moment out of your
    of your day and remembering means you have respect for those who
    sacrificed there lives for you. I was discouraged when the man wasn’t
    paying attention when everyone else was taking a moment of silence
    to remember the soldiers. In addition, the lyrics that I connect to the most
    is “in peace may they rest” because I had a family member in the war
    and when I hear those words I get really emotional because other
    families have lost brothers, sisters, sons even dads. Lastly, soldiers put
    there lives on the line for our country.

  23. TrrreEEyyyYY says:

    This vid made me sad and happy at the same time because I too had familly in the war and happy because those soldiers made us a free country.

  24. Trey says:

    This video made me sad because my great great grandpa ought in WW 2 and died of cancer after, I’m not sure if he was a medic or another position but he got caught in an explosion, survived and got cancer from it. I too never really understood remembrance day but after watching Is a Moment Enough I have a lot better understanding of and I remember those who died for us almost every day.

  25. Brendan says:

    This song made me feel vary sad and depressed.The lyrics that connected with me were,”Look at his little child,theres no fear in her eyes.Could he not show respect for other dads who have died.”That part connected with me because my grandpa was in the war and almost died numerous times.

  26. Seth says:

    This video made me feel thankful and sad for those who
    fought and died for peace and our freedom. I connected with
    the words “lest we forget” the most. I think Remembrance Day
    is a good time to take a couple minutes of the day to remember
    all the soldiers that fought for us and died. It made me sad when
    the guy didn’t care and just continued shopping. I don’t think
    the solders will be forgotten because lots of families had relatives
    that went to war.

  27. matthew says:

    This video is really sad because to think that soldiers died for us and he just does not even take two minutes out of his year to thank them it is horrific! Why would he not stop when all the people were?, even if he does not care he can at least do it even if he does not care? He should for the respect of other people.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Good use of a question to make a point Matthew! What can you infer about the person not stopping for a moment of silence. Was he unaware, uninterested, or something else?

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