Have you ever considered the size of a hummingbird’s hearts? Or what about the heart of a whale? Some may not value or see the purpose of the size of the heart or the reason a heart beats so many times per minute, others think that the heart is not important. But I think that in Brian Doyle’s “Joyas Volardores” we see that he considers every heart important and something of value. By looking at the imagery and repetition it is important that we see the overall truth in “Joyas Volardores”, meaning the heart is more than something that keeps something alive. 

“A hummingbird’s heart is the size of a pencil eraser” (Doyle), this image in put into our head to make us realize how small the hummingbird’s heart really is. But it’s not the size of the heart he wants us to devote all of our thoughts to, he wants us to think about everything that is inside the heart. Think about all the feelings, emotions, and memories inside that small heart. Then later in the work he tells us to think about a whale, “The biggest heart in the world is inside the blue whale. It’s as big as a room, with four chambers.” (Doyle) What about all the things inside the heart of a whale, how much has gone into that heart; not literally but figuratively speaking. The heart tells us more about a person or thing more than anything else. The heart shows that everyone and everything is different in their own way. The heart not only shows who you are but what you’ve been through. Doyle also says that the heart contains habits, travel patterns, diet, social life, language, diseases, and stories. Those are just some of the things included that make each animal unique. I believe that the heart gives everything personality as well, “Each one visits a thousand flowers a day. They can dive at sixty miles an hour. They can fly backwards.” (Doyle) each of these statements give the hummingbird character. By visiting a thousand flowers a day that shows ambition and the drive they have to live. When they dive at sixty miles an hour it shows their incredible ability and that they have no fear. Then when they fly backwards that gives them an incredible talent that no other animal has. The true meaning of the heart goes so much deeper than the surface level we see when the hummingbird passes by our window. 

Throughout the work Doyle uses repetition to grab the reader’s attention and make them focus on a specific point. For example, the use of the word chambers in the fourth paragraph is showing us that the chambers of heart are important. Each chamber has a specific job and animals have a different number of chambers. “Mammals and birds have hearts with four chambers. Reptiles and turtles have hearts with three chambers.”(Doyle) and there are other animals with two, one and even eleven chambers in a heart. He also uses the word they a lot throughout this work. One may wonder why such an odd word like they, well it’s because Doyle is trying to connect everything together. When you think of the word they, you think of someone talking about a group of something or wanting us to group things together. By using the word, they, he is connecting all the animals and humans together as one and making the reader realize that all of these things are the same. Also another technique Doyle uses is the way he wrote the word way, instead of spelling it the correct way he wrote it “waaaaay”. If you were reading a work do you think that spelling would catch your eye or make you stop and think for a moment. Those extra “a’s” he uses in that word really grab a reader’s attention and make them wonder why did he do that? This clever writing technique is what makes this work so interesting and wanting you to read more. 

What is a metaphor? That’s an easy answer and most would say “it is a comparison without using the words like or as”. But is that really all it is? I think that a metaphor can go much deeper than a small comparison. Doyle’s whole work is a metaphor, it’s an analysis and explanation on the life humans live and how we love. Sometimes it’s hard to see what a work is showing us, but Doyle tries to point out to us multiple times throughout the piece. Another huge metaphor Doyle uses is the comparison of each animal to each other. One animal is small, the next is huge, one is fast, one is slow but he compares them to each other to make the main focus on how each of them live. 

From the smallest heart to the largest, all hearts contain more than just blood that pumps through them. Each is special, each has a story, each has a past, present, and future, each has a meaning behind every story or memory inside. Doyle conveys this message throughout “Joyas Volardores” and with every technique and method he writes with. This work stops and make you think and find the deeper meaning within yourself, your life and what you love. 
