
Every creature in life has something that keeps them going. A creature’s heart keeps pumping no matter what happens. A heart pumps through the happiness, the pain, the sorrow, and even the best days ever. The heart encounters so much throughout a lifetime but no matter what, “we all churn inside” (Doyle, 96). Brian Doyle, the author of “Joyas Volardores,” says, “So much held in a heart in a day, an hour, a moment” (Doyle, 96). At any moment, life can come crashing down but the heart will still keep going. Life is precious and must be fully taken in no matter what. In “Joyas Volardores,” Brian Doyle uses repetition, metaphors, and comparisons in order to explain the heart and life. 

In the beginning of the essay, Brian Doyle uses repetition of the hummingbird to create an emphasis. The emphasis he is creating is that hummingbirds live life too quickly and this causes them to burn out easily. Doyle begins by saying, “consider the hummingbird for a long moment” (Doyle, 94). This begins the explanation of the hummingbird’s heart and lifestyle. The hummingbird’s heart is “hammering faster than we could clearly hear,” (Doyle, 94). The imagery tells that a hummingbird’s heart beats in a way that is unimaginable for humans. Their heart must be able to keep up with the fast paced lifestyle and never has a chance to slow down.  Doyle writes, “The price of their [hummingbirds] ambition is a life closer to death; they suffer more heart attacks and aneurysms and ruptures than any other creature” (Doyle, 95). This means that although hummingbirds may have “ferocious metabolisms” and “can fly more than five hundred miles without pausing to rest,” does not mean they live life the best way. Hummingbirds are never able to slow down and take a break from living in the fast lane. They must always keep going which eventually causes the hummingbird to “burn out” and “fry the machine” (Doyle, 95). If humans were to live so quickly, this could be dangerous. Living life quickly causes one to miss important events and go through the everyday motions. Slowing down allows one to take everything in and not “burn out” (Doyle, 95). Doyle continuously repeats how hummingbirds are never able to slow down which creates an emphasis the danger of rushing through life without taking a moment to appreciate the moments of the heart. 

Throughout the essay, Brian Doyle uses metaphors to create an idea about how creatures love and live. In the beginning, Doyle uses a hummingbird as a metaphor. Doyle writes, “They [hummingbirds] can dive at sixty miles an hour. They can fly backwards. They can fly more than five hundred miles without pausing to rest,” (Doyle, 95). He then continues to explain how at any moment, a hummingbird can reach its death. When hummingbirds are struggling, “they retreat into torpor” (Doyle, 95). Altogether, this means that even though hummingbirds are able to live at a fast pace, they cannot always handle this lifestyle. Hummingbirds are very fragile and at any moment, they can reach their death.  This metaphor applies to the humans because at any moment, someone can reach the lowest point of their life. This metaphor can also mean that even though hummingbirds are living a fast life, does not mean it is the best life. Living like this can cause one to not have a long life and miss the important events in life.

Brian Doyle uses comparisons to explain the heart of different creatures. As said in the second paragraph, Doyle describes the heart of a hummingbird. He writes, “A hummingbird’s heart is the size of a pencil eraser” (Doyle, 94). He then continues to explain how a hummingbird is always moving at extreme rates and is never able to slow down or else it will completely stop. Next, Doyle explains the heart of a blue whale, which has the biggest heart in the world, and says, “[The heart] weighs more than seven tons. It’s as big as a room” (Doyle, 95). He also explains that even though a blue whale is the largest in the world, humans know nearly nothing about the animal. There are one thing humans know though, and it is that blue whales always travel in pairs. Lastly, Doyle explains the hearts of birds, turtles, fish, worms, and unicellular bacteria. He writes that “mammals and birds have hearts with four chambers” while “reptiles and turtles have hearts with three chambers” (Doyle, 96). He continues with how worms have hearts with one chamber and even though unicellular bacteria have no hearts, they still have internal fluid in motion. After comparing all of the different types of hearts, one can conclude that in some way they are all the same. As Doyle says, “We all churn inside” (Doyle, 96).  Even though each of these creatures may seem to be entirely different, they still have a motive for life. Each creature has something that keeps them going, moving, and living. The life of every creature is important and equal. 

In the end, “we open windows to each other but we live alone in the house of the heart” (Doyle, 96). A person can choose whether they let others into their thoughts and feelings or shut them out completely. Living life quickly causes stress to the heart and ultimately is not the right way to live. Throughout “Joyas Volardores,” Brian Doyle teaches one about these important concepts. This essay teaches the importance of slowing down, savoring every moment, relying on others, and remembering that all hearts are equal to one another. The heart is what keeps creatures going day in and day out. One can “brick up your heart as stout and tight and cold and impregnable as you possibly can and down it comes in an instant” or they can always keep moving and allow others in (Doyle, 96). Every creature has the drive to live because of their heart. No matter the size or shape, the heart continues to pump.

