Tim O’Brien Emulation:Directions:1. Spend some time looking through the following

photographs before settling on one that you think will produce the most complex piece of writing.

2. In a 2-3 page (double spaced) creative piece, emulate O’Brien’s approach and style in “The Man I Killed” by describing the person shown in the photo using the techniques outlined on the following slides.

3. The final draft is due on turnitin and as a hard copy in class on Friday (5/23). You must bring a first draft of your writing to class tomorrow (Thursday).

Tim O’Brien Emulation:Expectations: As we discussed in class, your piece should include—and will be graded on—all of the following:1. Style:

– specific description and sensory detail (imagery, color, etc.)– simile/metaphor (“like a woman’s…”)– contrast (“there was a butterfly on his chin”)– repetition (“His jaw…his upper lip…his one eye” “the butterfly”)– at least one “marathon” sentence

2. Content: – Backstory – Based on his physical details, who is this guy? What

is his name? Where is he from? What is his family like? What are the major turning points in his life? How did he end up in Vietnam and how does he feel about it? Where is he located in Vietnam and what is his role?

– Personality & Emotion – What type of behavior does this guy have? Is he a jokester? Is he morbid? Serious? What are his hopes, dreams, and desires? What does he fear? What keeps him up at night?

– Thoughts – What is going through this soldier’s head at the time of the photo?

– Empathy – In what ways do you see yourself in this soldier? Can you use details from your own life? Your own hopes and fears?

Tim O’Brien Emulation:Other Considerations:• Experiment with O’Brien—and by extension, the

soldiers’—word choice. What slang did they use in Vietnam? What military terms can you include? Do not use contemporary slang.

• This is a creative assignment, but remember, you are writing about real people who actually served in Vietnam. The tone of your writing should be respectful of this fact—this not the time for parody or satire.

• Remember to proofread and include a title (use O’Brien’s titles for inspiration).

A young Marine private waits on the beach during the Marine landing, Da Nang, Vietnam, August 3, 1965. (U.S. Marine Corps.)

Sgt. Ronald A. Payne, from Atlanta, Georgia, Squad Leader of Company A, 1st Bn, 5th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division, checks a tunnel entrance carrying a flashlight and a sidearm, before entering it to search for Viet Cong and their equipment during Operation "Cedar Falls" in the Ho Bo Woods, 25 miles north of Saigon on January 24th, 1967. (US Department of Defense/SP5 Robert C. Lafoon, US Army Sp Photo Det Pac)

Paratroopers of the U.S. 2nd Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade hold their automatic weapons above water as they cross a river in the rain during a search for Viet Cong positions in the jungle area of Ben Cat, South Vietnam on Sept. 25, 1965. (AP Photo/Henri Huet)

A Viet Cong base camp is torched near My Tho, Vietnam on April 5th, 1968. In the foreground is Private First Class Raymond Rumpa, St Paul, Minnesota, C Company, 3rd Battalion, 47th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division, with 45 pound 90mm recoilless rifle. (US Department of Defense)

Members of the 101st Airborne Division take photographs during the Bob Hope Christmas Show at Camp Eagle in Vietnam on December 23rd, 1970. (US Department of Defense/SP5 Joel M. Shanus, USA Sp Photo Det, Pac

A marine helps his wounded comrade to cover despite North Vietnamese fire during battle on May 15, 1967 in the western sector of "Leatherneck Square" south of the demilitarized zone in South Vietnam. (AP Photo/John Schneider)

Side view of an HH-53 helicopter of the 40th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron as seen from the gunner's position on an A-1 of the 21st Specialist Operations Squadron.

Dak To, Vietnam, First Sgt. Benjamin Reynolds and 1st Sgt. Robert M. Baker, both of Co. B, 3rd Bn., 12th Infantry, 4th Infantry Division, raise the American flag on Hill No. 927 on December 5th, 1967. (US Department of Defense/Spec. 4 R. Abeyta)

D. R. Howe (Glencoe, MN) treats the wounds of Private First Class D. A. Crum (New Brighton, PA), "H" Company, 2nd Battalion, Fifth Marine Regiment, during Operation Hue City on February 6th, 1968. (US Department of Defense)

A wounded U.S. paratrooper grimaces in pain while waiting for medical evacuation at base camp in the A Shau Valley near the Laos border in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Photo taken by then AP photographer Hugh Van Es on May 19, 1969. (AP Photo/Hugh Van Es)