The Conversion

 Emotion: The poem has a brooding or unhappy mood from the start and shifts at the end to a
mood of relief.
 The themes of the poem:
1. Gender Orientation – because the family of the persona and the society couldn’t accept
the real him. They stick to their beliefs which is a man born as a boy should act like one,
same with the girl.
2. Masculinity – The poem implies that a man have more power than woman.
3. Family – because they couldn’t accept that the boy was gay. They are the boy’s family
but they are the one who degrade him and hurt him.
 Date of Publication: 1995

 In the past generations, they believed that a man being born biologically as a boy should act
masculinity while a woman should act femininity.
 During those times we should act appropriately and accordingly to our biological sex.
 In the poem made by J. Neil entitled “The Conversion”, he was able to open up the readers’
eyes on how gay is discriminated from family’s and relatives refusal to rumors in the society,
they believed that being gay is a scourge just like an epidemic.
 His father’s belief that if he became straight man he will be accepted in the community, he
belongs.
 This is anti-feminism because the feelings of the girl part of the persona was not given an
importance, not fought and came with discrimination and denial. Also, the poem implies that a
man have more power than woman and no equity in terms of roles, aptitude and rights.
 I agree that there is an equity and equality between man and a woman. I just want to give
emphasis the manners, culture and the impact of being gay in the society during this
generation. I do believe that it has a relation why gays now are easily accepted than before.