Rhetoric on the Town

I took several pictures this weekend which I believe evidenced rhetoric. The first two pictures I shot were of similar but juxtaposing images of signs. The first was a welcome sign for the city of Carmel. The sign imitated gold filament with flowery designs and long oval-like lines. To counterpoint this is a welcome sign from the city of Westfield. This sign is much simpler, feauturing only a green diamond with writing on the inside. There is nothing 3D, as with the Carmel sign. It is made of metal, instead of wood. These signs subtley convey to you meaning as to what each city is about, and ironically, they are located a mere twenty feet from one another on the same north-south road. The Carmel sign conveys the image of high-class affluence, stating in bold gold lettering "WELCOME TO CARMEL". You can gage imediately the caliber of the city you are entering, or at least you can gage what they intend you to believe is the caliber of the city. The Westfield sign features more details in writing, and is aesthetically simpler. It informs you that the town was founded in 1834 and features the slogan "Old Town Charm, New City Style". This is meant to convey that Westfield is a city with a history. When you choose Westfield, you are choosing a place that has proven itself over time, and has, in many ways, more personality than Carmel. Or so we are lead to believe. Whether the truth lies along these lines for either city is hard for us to say, but each sign conveys a message as the stationary welcome beacon to their respective stations, and each would like us to believe in the messages they put across.