Joyas Volardores simply means flying jewels. When foreign explorers first came to North America and spotted the beautiful hummingbird, they called them Joyas Volardores. This is a very powerful meaning I think, especially since hummingbirds are such beautiful creatures with a heart the size of an infant’s fingernail but powerful enough to fly at speeds up to 60 mph. The heart is an essential, but also such a fragile part of all living things. Without it they would cease to exist.

Hummingbirds are such a simple but also complex animal. From the tips of their small but incredible wings to the tip of their long and beautiful mouth they really are one of God’s perfect creatures. Hummingbirds are not a species from all over the world “for hummingbirds came in to the world only in the Americas, nowhere else in the universe.” (Doyle) This quote not only makes the hummingbird special but I think it is also signifying how the narrator is proud to be an American. Hummingbirds have very small hearts; however, in relation to their relatively small bodies they have a large heart. This large heart is a big part of keeping the precious hummer airborne. I believe that the narrator talking about this heart signifies more than just their literal heart. I think he or she is trying to show the bigger picture about how humans should have a big heart and help others out.

The hummingbird, “more than 100 species of them whirring and zooming and nectaring in the hummer time zones nine times removed from ours, the hearts hammering faster than we could clearly hear if we pressed our elephantine ears to their infinitesimal chests.” (Doyle) This is such a powerful quote containing some great imagery, it’s comparing a hummingbird’s small heart the size of a little pencil eraser to our seemingly huge ears using an analogy of one of the planet’s largest animals, the elephant. The bird’s heart beats so fast we couldn’t hear a break with our human ears between the beats. The narrator also uses a great example of alliteration, imagery, hyperbole and a metaphor all together when he says, “Hummingbirds, like all flying birds but more so, have enormous immense ferocious metabolisms. To drive those metabolisms, they have race-car hearts that eat oxygen at an eye-popping rate.” (Doyle) This is not just a great quote; this is also one of the best uses of so many types of figurative language that I have ever seen.

After discussing the heart of the hummingbird the narrator takes a very drastic change. They begin talking about the blue whale. The blue whale is the world’s largest animal. Being the largest animal it also has the largest heart. The narrator uses great detail and imagery by suggesting that, “A child could walk around, head high, bending only to step through the valves.” (Doyle) This action has obviously never been performed but by saying that a small child could stand in these heart chambers as if it were a room really gets me thinking. If an animal has a heart so massive that a child could walk through, it must be extremely important. Likewise, I think the narrator is trying to get at more important things, like no matter the size of the animal from the smallest to the largest the heart is important and functions the same. A heart pumps blood to the whole body and is really the epicenter. The difference between a hummingbird’s heart and a blue whale is not much other than size.

Every animal, including humans, have a heart. From the blue whale which has a heart weighing in at more than seven tons, all the way down to a worm who has a heart so small that it is difficult to see even with a microscope. This being said, every heart is different. “Mammals and birds have hearts with 4 chambers, reptiles and amphibians have hearts with 3 chambers, fish have hearts with 2 chambers. Insects have hearts with 1 chamber.” (Doyle) This is really incredible information. The narrator is trying to tell the audience that no matter the size or number of chambers a heart has, it still will affect the feelings of the heart and the everlasting heartfelt memories. This quote really is a good example of repetition because it goes through and continues to talk about the one priority of this paper, the heart. No matter how many chambers 1, 2, 3, or 4, everything has a heart to keep it going.

The human heart is approximately the size of the fist if you were to clench it. With that being said, the human heart still has the same functions as a blue whale and a hummingbird, to sustain life. Humans are able to speak from their hearts unlike many animals. The heart sustains physical life but plays an important role in emotional well-being. The human heart is able to capture memories throughout a person’s life “So much held in a heart in a lifetime. So much held in a heart in a day, an hour, a moment.” (Doyle) The narrator is describing the heart and the capabilities of it. The heart endures much happiness and pain throughout one’s life.

The heart is a symbol of love and affection all over the world. People get married because their hearts love each other, they are in love. What the narrator is trying to convey, I think, is that everyone has their own heart and, he says, “We open windows to each but we live alone in the house of the heart. Perhaps we must. Perhaps we could not bear to be so naked, for fear of a constantly harrowed heart.” (Doyle) In this quote the narrator is telling the audience that we can talk to others about feelings but only we the person with the heart can ultimately determine what should be done about a certain situation and how to properly address an issue whether it’s towards someone else or an internal conflict.

The heart, as simple or complex as it may be, is an essential part of the human body, the hummingbird body, and the blue whale body. How perfect it may seem, however it is not always. Whether beating for its final time or being repaired, it really is a God given item. The heart, essential as it may be, is very fragile and important. Without it, all livings things would cease to exist. 
