
The author, Bryan Doyle, from the excerpt Joyas Volardores, shows the deeper meaning of the heart and the potential for each heart.  The heart is very fragile but also very strong and has much importance for anything using the heart.  The author makes a strong point to make you see the potential that each heart has.  Even though the author doesn’t directly talk about the potential and individuality of the heart he hints at it several times throughout the piece.  He also shows evidence that we should appreciate the moment we are living in right now and really pay attention to what is right in front of us right now.

Early on in the excerpt the author talks about the humming bird and its heart.  The humming bird is such a fragile animal and how its heart is even more fragile, for instance the author states, “The humming birds heart is the size of a pencil eraser.”  This shows the sensitivity that a heart has and how precious it can be.  The heart is such a vital piece to the humming bird and its survival the author explains that here, “their heart beats ten times a second” and If a humming bird doesn’t keep moving through the night it could possibly die because their heart rate slows down so intensely.   This shows the preciousness of the animal and its heart, the author portrays that fact perfectly with this quote.  The humming bird is also a very versatile animal, “Each one visits a thousand flowers a day.  They can dive at sixty miles an hour.  They can fly backwards.  They can fly more than five hundred miles without pausing to rest.”  So because of the fact that the humming birds heart is so small it must stay active or it will collapse. With this I think the author is trying to make us see the importance of the heart and its value.  A heart can also be very versatile and they are all different in a their own special and unique way

 The author then talks about the heart of a blue whale and the immense size of their heart, “It weighs more than seven tons.  It’s as big as a room.  It is a room, with four chambers.”  I think the author was trying to portray that the heart has vast responsibility within us and can be very heavy at times.  With this analogy I feel the author is trying to connect the physical size of these specific hearts with the general importance of every heart.  The author wants us to realize how heavy a heart can feel, if we get heart broken or lose someone close to us our hearts can feel like tons.  Maybe not psychically but if something really touches our hearts us then we might feel as if they weigh a thousand pounds. Doyle even mentions the fact that hearts travel in pairs, “But we know this: the animals with the largest hearts in the world generally travel in pairs”  This is a deep connection between two hearts and souls and whether they are relatives or intimate the connection they share is so deep that the author refers to the connection thought their hearts, nothing else.  He says “the hearts” travel together meaning they are inseparable, that is one of the deepest connections you can share.  So with that I think the author really wants the reader to understand that we need to realize that our lives are so special and we need to find deeper connections with the people and things around us.  So from the author to talking about one of the smallest hearts to one of the biggest really makes you realize the true versatility that hearts have.

The author also gives examples of the chambers from different animals and the different amount each animal has.  Again the author is touching on the fact that each heart has its own individuality and unique aspects to it.  The chambers are very similar in their actions but vary in size, shape and number.  No heart is the same and I think Doyle is really emphasizing that by repeating similar ideas about it through the piece.  This doesn’t limit the heart to having no similarities at all, the author acknowledges the fact that there are similarities within hearts, although not the heart in its entirety.  The author mentions that, “We all churn inside.”  I think he’s trying to get at the fact that our hearts are similar in one way, the way our hearts function and move.  And not every heart functions the same way either there are a few that are special and need medical assistance so there is no heart that is identical.  Although a heart can have a match, a pair is what the heart seeks, and I think this the authors underlying meaning of the whole piece.

The author really wanted us to see the different aspects of the heart, the connections it can make and the importance it has on our lives.  Meaning he really wants the reader to appreciate the over looked things in life and pay attention to each detail.  Don’t skip over anything or you will regret not experiencing it or not even knowing about it in the first place. When Doyle says, “So much held in a heart in a lifetime.”  He is trying to reinforce that it has endless love and no matter what, it will remember.  It doesn’t forget and the heart is strong, it keeps you alive and connected.  The fact that hearts are so unique makes life fun, it’s all about what you want for yourself and how you want to feel.  Even though sometimes there are times where things happen that aren’t desirable but that is what makes our hearts stronger.  It builds the heart, it always has room to grow and it needs to.  Even though the heart is born with natural instincts its always growing and learning.  The heart will forever be unique and be different from all the others, different in size, potential, meaning and purpose, but always similar in strength, intuition, and importance.