Abstract ideas are often difficult to discuss. This photo can provoke all kinds of discussions.
Susan says, “Wow, there are lots of possible ways to use this photo to make abstract ideas more concrete. The most obvious is that nothing can stop Mother Nature. She can make even the toughest customer her own. Here the petroleum industry has met it match. This shows the mutability of all things as the metal is beginning to corrode one drop of water at a time and the delicate pink flowers are beginning to cover up the gas pump. Another possibility is as a jumping off point for a discussion on nostalgia and a yearning for the simpler and certainly cheaper ‘good old days’. This gas pump couldn’t even calculate a price for gas higher than 99 cents a gallon. A third thought is regarding branding. Today there are a handful of gas companies. We think of them as a permanent part of the American landscape. But this gas pump wasn’t pumping any of today’s big gas brands. What was this company with its sunny yellow pump adorned with Art Deco sun rays that is long gone? Even gas companies can come and go.”
What ideas do you get from this image. It is helpful when discussing abstractions to have a solid, concrete image to kick off the discussion.
