The story of Joyas Voladoras is a tail of strength and of sadness. The author starts the story discussing the hummingbird at great length. It is as if Brian Doyle went out of his way to find and share the information that he has become an expert of. Many in the Americas know about this anomaly of bird but do not know its history or biological make up. Half of this story is about the hummingbird. About its witness by the first European settlers. How these men from the Old Country came to the New Country and seen something so amazing they named them “flying jewels”. Towards the end of the short story he changes the direction of the story and starts to discuss the pain that we will eventually witness.

The “Joyas Voladoras” by Brian Doyle starts by having the reader “Consider the hummingbird”. The way that he starts this text will have you imagine this creature probably hovering in front of a flower “for a long moment. You might even imagine how he holds himself in flight, with wings that beat so fast they are barely visible to the unassisted human eye. Then you also notice the beautiful bright colors that this bird possesses. As you sit their gazing at the beauty imagine another “flying jewel” hovering with another vibrant display of color.  

Brian Doyle describes the hummingbird to the reader in such a descriptive way that it can easily be seen in the mind. He uses examples and adjectives that can be easily followed. He describes the heart as the size of a pencil eraser, the birds whirring and zooming, the hearts hammering. He leaves the reader with a more complete picture than that of the simple one many readers first visualized. He makes it very clear how tiny, fast, and strong the hummingbird’s heart really is. 

Then he goes into the weaknesses of the hummingbird. His heart gives him his strength but is also what dooms it to a high mortality rate. When we see a hummingbird flitting back and forth between flowers all we think about is their beauty. The thought about the importance of this creature’s heart for survival probably never crossed your mind. How this heart is at its most vulnerable when it rests. Brian Doyle points out that when he has not found enough nectar to drink or on a chilly night that it is on the brink of death. The hummingbirds heart is strong, hardy but also frail. We do not think about the life and death struggle that drives the beautiful little bird. This can compare to the struggle that every animal including humans endures throughout its lifetime. 

As you complete the third paragraph Brian Doyle has provided a picture of the amazing feats a hummingbird can achieve. Then he brings all that awe into sadness by describing the weakness that comes from which gives it strength. That during their search for the substance that gives them life also pushes their frail body to the edge of death. That by the time that a human child is saying his ABC’s the hummingbird has used up the beats of that powerful heart. The way that he describes how helpless the hummingbird really is, will make you appreciate its life the next time you see one hovering in front of that flower. See more than the awe, beauty and marvel of how it is able to perform such acrobatic maneuvers, with wings that are barely visible to the human eye.

Brian Doyle started off his work by telling about the diminutive but powerful heart of the hummingbird. He then moves on to describe the enormous heart of the blue whale. He doesn’t start off by having you to think about it or wonder. Mr. Doyle goes straight into the facts surrounding the heart of the biggest living mammal. Unlike the hummingbird these giants do not go about their lives alone and keep a companion. That this connection and the ability to communicate yearn for partner. The biggest hearts are those living in liquid but he says all living creatures depend on the liquid inside to be alive. He lets you know that humans are not the only creatures to have feelings. Most mammals share many of the same emotions of love, pain, anxiety and sadness that humans possess. His story makes me have more compassion for the life because we all struggle at certain times. As we go through some turmoil in our life a friend or companion can be there for support. 

His last paragraph chronicles the joys and sorrow that the heart endures. How one’s heart can be strong, cold, bitter but can instantly feel love again for any specific reason. He says that all living creatures have “approximately two billion heartbeats”. The hummingbird in all its glory burns out and dies alone making no connection but the whale would rather travel with a partner. He lets you know that no life is perfect and your heart will eventually be damaged by age.