ENG 101 - Rhetorical Essay - Rhetorical Essay Joyas...

Rhetorical Essay: Joyas Volardores
The first time I read the essay “Joyas Volardores” by Brian Doyle, my breath was literally
taken away by the last paragraph. I completely connected to it, and I felt exactly what the author
was trying to convey to his readers; that despite all the pain we go through in our lives, each
individual needs to find his or her own happiness in a specific way. In every moment because no
matter who you are or where you’re from, life is tough. I whole-heartedly agree with this point,
and came to somewhat of an epiphany mid-read. The way the author builds credibility and
delivers his message during the essay is very special.
The first sentence of the first paragraph lays out the authors’ intentions. He writes,
“Consider the hummingbird for a long moment.” Based off of this first sentence, you can tell he
wants you to take your time reading this essay. He doesn’t want you to rush through and
determine a simple meaning. He wants you to think about the words- to connect to them on a
deeper level.
At first, the author simply describes the life, trials, and tribulations of a regular
hummingbird. He explains the intricacies of the hummingbird’s heart and how it finds simple joy
in going from flower to flower, collecting the sweet nectar and distributing it amongst other
flowers. This is the animals’ simple purpose in life. It seems to the reader that the author is losing
his grip on the reader the further he continues on about these birds. He even goes through several
different kinds of hummingbirds; he almost hits twenty, and the reader starts to skim and almost
lose interest. But just as he is about to drive them away, he deliberately switches the subject and
connects the hearts of hummingbirds to hearts of blue whales. Doyle goes on about the heart of
the blue whale and how it’s the biggest of the animal kingdom. He discusses how with this