Vermeer In Bosnia By Lawrence Weschler - 1279 Words

In the text â€Å"Vermeer in Bosnia† by Lawrence Weschler, Weschler builds an argument surrounding the need of â€Å"inventing peace†. Throughout the text, Weschler refers to different individuals to build up his claim. In each part, Weschler focuses and describes each individual as a unique existence. From murders to peacemakers, from past to present, Wechsler individualizes them from their groups in order to look at each with an unbiased, holistic point of view, developing a clear goal for achieving peace. To further develop his argument, Weschler focuses on Jan Vermeer, an artist who spent his entire life dedicated to drawing an ideal, peaceful environment which was non-existent during his time. Weschler repeatedly included Vermeer in different†¦show more content†¦Maybe it s my lack of artistic taste, but even after the realization, I was still unable to arrive at the same interpretation of the woman in the portrait as Weschler. Legacy, on the other hand, is clearly defined and nearly constant even as a large span of time has passed. Vermeer does include legacies, but with limited use, cutting off a reliable source to back up his argument. The use of interpretations allows his argument to be disputed and possibly rejected. After years of continuous violence and war, it is unlikely to seek out and prosecute the few that initiated the conflict since they are most likely no longer around anymore. Even if a descendant is found, individuality alone may not suffice for prosecution, nor will it necessarily be a step towards inventing peace. They might as well put up a random stranger, make up a case, and claim to have prosecuted the root of the evil. On the other hand, prosecuting a family known to have a legacy of criminal and inhumane acts is much more likely to lead to step towards inventing peace. Though it may disregard the individuals involved, it will truly be the end of one bloody legacy. There are many instances where legacy trumps the interpreted individuality. In Ta-Nehisi Coates’ article â€Å"The First White President†, he brings up the idea of the white legacy aka â€Å"the bloody heirloom† and uses it to describe Donald Trump’s presidency. Coates develops an argument surrounding