In “An ‘American’ Publishes a Magazine” by Wallace Shawn, Shawn discussed the matter of pictures surfacing to the United States public showing American soldiers torturing people. Yet in a matter of weeks, the topic became simply something that gets covered up in dust within time, with the government and the citizens accepting it for what it was. From this, Shawn proceeds to queston what it meant to be “Americans and living in the United States” (50). He isn’t exactly someone you can call an American patriot, he simply states that he was born in the United States and that was that, he was an American. The “boring men” as Shawn calls them, refers to the men that was getting things done “behind the scenes.” In truth, there are many things happening within our country that aren’t exactly clean and full of sunshine and there are always people, the “boring men”, that are going to get the job done.

In 2014, Wallace Shawn published a magazine called ” AN ‘AMERICAN’ PUBLISHES A MAGAZINE”. Wallace wanted to address one issue he had with “Americans”. Wallace states that he viewed the reactions of the president and political officials after them viewing the pictures that contained American soldiers torturing, degrading, and mocking  people (pg 49.). Wallace was not very fond of the fact that the President and political officials weren’t viewing these actions as being terrible and seen that these people viewed these actions as to be in fact normal.  Also Wallace mentions if he were to have been in power wouldn’t  require that people need people need a passport to touch United States ground. Believing no man or woman should need permission to go anywhere they please as stated in (pg51).  Wallace gives us his opinions on the terrible things and the things he appreciates about the United States. Wallace also does mention New York CIty as a small part of the United States but not really basically allowing readers to understand United States cannot be determined as a whole when states like NYC differ amongst other states.

In the essay An “American” Publishes A Magazine by Wallace Shawn he talks about the deeper meaning of being an American. After viewing these group pictures of American soldiers being tortured he questions how America would react to the issue. Also, with the thought of how we have to think about being Americans living in the United States. Wallace then talks about his point of view on how he doesn’t feel the states are very United and that the term United States is inaccurate.

In Wallace Shawn’s essay, “An ‘American’ Publishes a Magazine”, he informs about his point of view on being an American. He states that with all the bad history, America has on its back, us Americans have to double think about being an American. Shawn believes Americans have overseen the problem and look at it as though it is the norm. Shawn wrote this essay to explain how disappointed he was in the reaction of how the Americans towards cruel pictures found of soldiers torturing people. He was very shocked to see that there was no action being done to this especially to higher level authorities such as overthrowing or demoting them. Although he isn’t happy about being American he also states that he isn’t mad about it. He just believes that America does not deserve the name ‘United States.’ Also that there should not be any borders nor immigrations because Americans aren’t any different from other countries.

In 2004, Wallace Shawn wrote a magazine “An American publishes a magazine”. He published this magazine to speak about the reactions that Americans had towards photos of american soldiers mocking and physically abusing helpless individuals. He states that the general public did in fact become effected by the photos and were shocked (pg 49). This claim intertwines with this later claims of himself feeling unperturbed by the words “The United States”. Wallace Shawn states that he is “up to my neck in being american”(pg 51) which he continues to state he is not in favor of being an american although he has received the conveniences of being an american. His preferences are stated at the end of the magazine where his ideal way of life would not be as restricted as he says the united states is. He was born in New York city and uses his experiences there to show the difference of being a part of the united states while also not being a part of it as well.

In the essay “An American Publishes a Magazine” Wallace Shawn discussed his magazine called Final Edition. In the magazine, a group of pictures showing American soldiers torturing people in chains. People definitely suffered or shocked when they saw the pictures, but they think this as the sovereign public and did not react, nor the nation has react. The atrocities were slowly had been consider normal and people could accept. Shawn is not interesting to the words “the United States”, but he is proud to being an American, that he lead to have nice and easy life. Shawn talks about the law on immigration, he resent the fact that he need permission to go anywhere. And he also gives his thoughts about being an American has no difference than from other country, he just happen to born in New York and grow up here.

In “An ‘ American’ Publishes a Magazine,” Wallace Shawn begins discussing how in 2004 his involvement with Seven Stories Press, allowed him to publish “Final Edition”. A magazine that was designed to be a one-time issue. In the magazine, Shawn gives his opinion and thoughts on the United States of America and its Americans. The writer talks about the reaction of the American public. Reaction that was supposed to be based on a group of pictures that where handed to them, in which shows the brutality those American soldiers had upon other people (p.49). Shawn also states how even though certain people had a reaction of shocked others didn’t, and even does that were shocked didn’t rise up and spoke out or advocated for their rights. He also spoke about how even the highest of powers “the president and his highest officials weren’t humble enough to give a public apology (p.50). Shawn also discusses his view on retractions when traveling, immigration laws and cultural limitations (p.51). Throughout the article, Shawn admits that even though he isn’t pleased with the way this nation is set up, he is still content with the life style he has lived in New York City.

In ‘an “american” publishes a magazine’, Wallace Shawn gives us his thought of being Americans and also talks about the United States Of America in general. Shawn talks about the reaction of the American public towards the cruelty of the American soldiers to other people. Shawn tries to make a connection between the American’s public reaction including the highest officials and being an American in the united states. He admits through his essay that the word “the united states” doesn’t mean that much to him but on the other hand, he has to be proud of being an american due to the nice life he leads. Restrictions such as immigration laws and passports have no value according to Shawn’s perspective. Shawn believes that the institutions are not that important since he considers them as part of the United States Of America ‘s problem.

     The essay “An American Publishes a Magazine,” by Wallace Shawn (2004) discusses one of his magazine called Final Edition, of his thoughts of America and the world. Shawn was astonish at how American people respond to American soldiers tormenting non-American people. Isolated from one another Americans “definitely suffered and shocked”(49), but as a nation they didn’t respond to it negative. His thoughts of soldier and how he find them “boring and unappealing” (51), but acknowledge soldiers are the reason why we have “oil and other supplies…collected and delivered”(51) to us. Shawn has his own perspective of how the world should be if he could play god, such as no “laws of ‘immigration’”(51) and restriction of traveling that all the different nation have for one another and “nation states…never have been invented”(51).

​Adel Yaseen

02/23/2016

In 2004, a writer involved with Seven Stories Press published a magazine that was designed to have only one issue then go out of business. This magazine talks about the writer’s opinion on the “United States” and “Americans”. The writer was born and raised here in New York City and feels fortunate and unfortunate to be an American because being an American comes with pros and cons in their eyes. They see the cruelty, the grandiosity in the American soldiers and even the highest officials of the United States but with the recognition of the American soldiers,
for providing us with oil and other supplies we live a comfortable life here. Because this writer is a much laid back, if it were up to them things like protesting, passports, and laws on “immigration” wouldn’t have been invented.