Joias Voladoras by Brian Doyle first appeared in The American Scholar in 2004 and was subsequently selected for Best American Essays in 2005. Doyle's intended audience is the general population , although his writing style appeals to both the logical reader and hopeless romantics looking for metaphors that indicate love in any way. The beginning of the essay provides general information about the hummingbird, which contains the smallest, most capable and fragile heart in the world. He then explains the meaning of the blue whale's heart with comparisons, indicating that the blue whale holds a heart the size of a room. He concludes his essay by stating that the human heart is always closed for fear of breaking, remaining constantly fragile. To further prove his point, he also states that even if the heart defends itself with barriers, these barriers will always break due to the smallest emotional factor. Therefore, Doyle manages to evoke intense emotions in his audience thanks to a brilliant rhetorical strategy that involves a pathetic appeal approach, emphasizing the reality of the human heart and the pain of love. His skillful use of metaphors, facts, contrasts, and poetic, stylized writing methods help him successfully inspire his audience to realize that the heart is more than just an organ. Joyas Voladoras was written with a few target groups in mind: logical individuals who are interested in the explanation of how, why and for what purpose the heart works, and hopeless romantics who are looking for a semblance of love in a text. To successfully capture the attention of his target audience, as well as the attention of other readers outside of his target audience, Doyle shows an understanding of using half... half of the paper... how much information does he reveal to his audience without overloading them, including an underlying message hidden in metaphors and facts; compare the sizes of different hearts with familiar objects and thus make them perceptible; and using his distinct poetic style and tone to evoke emotion in his audience. By emphasizing the factual and emotionally evocative nature of his rhetorical strategy and presenting it in a personal and eloquent manner, he seems to be able to successfully connect with his audience. Ultimately, the overall tone of the essay entices its readers to think and feel deeply along with the text, adding to its many noteworthy qualities. Works Cited Doyle, Brian. “Joyas Voladoras”. Ways of Reading: An Anthology for Writers. Bartolomeo, Petroskij. 9th ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martin, 2011. 273-275. Press.