
Almost seven years ago, “Moments” came across my radio’s airwaves for the very first time and it proceeded to touch my heart. My associative response is that my struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts throughout my lifetime have led me to where I can relate very closely to the emotion being alluded to in the narrative of the song. My affective response is that the lyrics touch my heart in a way very few songs ever have and that it makes me smile and brings a tear to my eye at the same time. My perception of this song is that it starts out very sad and depressing but, by then end, it has taken on a much brighter outlook. The text that I have chosen is the song “Moments” (Tate, Tate, & Berg, 2006) as it was recorded by the country music group Emerson Drive. In this paper, I am going to illustrate a reading response analysis as it pertains to a text by elaborating on my personal responses regarding a particular text through the utilization of the three stages that I have just presented.


The perceptions are the reader’s initial impressions in response to the text the affective response is the raw emotion that the text produces in the reader and the associative response is where the reader determines what is behind their initial impressions to the text and why the text brought about the perceptions that it prompted. These three stages are: perceptions, affective response, and associative response.

It was also stated that, whenever a person reads, they go through three response stages in what is labeled as their reading response analysis. While discussing this topic, it was pointed out that when a person reads a text they bring their own life experience with them and it influences the way that the content is perceived by that person. I've had my moments, days in the sun Moments I was second to none Moments when I knew I did what I thought I couldn't do Like that cool night on the E.Recently in my English Composition class, we began learning about reading as a process. I know somewhere 'round a trashcan fire tonight That old man tells his story one more time He says I've had my moments, days in the sun Moments I was second to none Moments when I knew I did what I thought I couldn't do Like the day I walked away from the wine For a woman who became my wife And a love that, when it was right, Could always see me through Lookin' at me now you might not know it But I've had my moments I stood there tryin' to find my nerve Wondering if a single soul on Earth Would care at all Miss me when I'm gone That old man just kept hanging around Lookin' at me, lookin' down I think he recognized That look in my eyes Standing with him there I felt ashamed I said, You know, I haven't always felt this way I've had my moments, days in the sun Moments I was second to none Moments when I knew I did what I thought I couldn't do Like that plane ride coming home from the war That summer my son was born And memories like a coat so warm A cold wind can't get through Lookin' at me now you might not know it But I've had my moments

Street Bridge Followed me on to it I went out halfway across With that homeless shadow tagging along So I dug for some change Wouldn't need it anyway He took it lookin' just a bit ashamed He said, You know, I haven't always been this way I was coming to the end of a long long walk When a man crawled out of a cardboard box Under the E.
