Today I did a Google search for postcards and rhetoric. The first hit led me to this page, which is a Cafe Press page that features "rhetoric" postcards. I am easily amused by meta-anything, so I was pleasantly surprised. Here's my favorite postcard on offer there: 

There's a similar selection of "rhetoric" postcards on Zazzle, as well. I'm not sure who I would send a "rhetoric" postcard to. The potential audience seems rather limited. I also came across these vintage cards on the Palczewski Postcard Archive that feature rhetorical images and text. 

While I have focused on the rhetorical acts of ordinary people corresponding with each other through Postcrossing, my search today reminded me that, historically, postcards have been used in a more traditional rhetorical context for quite some time. The suffragette postcards on the Palczewski Archive are an example from 1909. 

The fact that postcards have been used for political agendas and are used extensively in advertising is testament to the fact that they are an effective means of communication. If I receive a postcard ad in the mail that has a colorful, eye-catching image I am more likely to at least glance at it than I am likely to open an envelope that contains junk mail. Those go right into the recycling bin, unopened. 

While we are verbal creatures, humans are also highly visual. We like bright colors and pretty things. Going back to the suffragette postcard for a moment, I notice that there is text on the card but what catches my eye is the image. The woman is standing tall and has her hand on her hip. She looks confident. She is smoking a cigarette which, in and of itself, would have been a strong rhetorical statement in 1909.

Here's another one from the series. 

The use of color and the body language of the woman in blue is appealing and modern. She is even showing some ankle! In contrast, the women on the left look oppressed. This postcard does not even need  text in order to convey a strong rhetorical statement. 

We live in a rhetorical world. Acts of rhetoric are not confined to scholars or politicians. Every speech act, every visual image, even body language is inherently rhetorical. We produce "texts" in everything we do. I am particularly fascinated by everyday acts of rhetoric and I think that is one of the primary reasons I am attracted to Postcrossing. 

When I sit down at my desk to write a postcard, what am I doing? How does where I am and the postcard's eventual destination affect the choices I make? Why do I find it easier to write a postcard to another woman than to a man? Communication is power. When we begin to figure out ways that facilitate communication we harness that power and send it out into the world. Location (both figurative and literal) always affects communication. The suffragette postcards exemplify that. They seek to make room in the political arena for women. While place influences composition, composition likewise affects place.Write. Speak. Define your space. Make your place. Make sure that the place you make is inclusive. Send a postcard and watch your place in the world expand!