"Joyas Voladoras" and "Barbie Doll"

So, in books and stuff, people like to talk about feelings and who we are, right? Well, two stories that really dig into these ideas are "Joyas Voladoras" by Brian Doyle and "Barbie Doll" by Marge Piercy. They both get into how life is fragile and how we figure out who we are. This essay is all about how Doyle and Piercy handle these big ideas and show us that being human means dealing with all our vulnerabilities and trying to make sense of ourselves.

Let's Dive Into the Details

Doyle's "Joyas Voladoras" is all about how life is short and how we're all pretty fragile. He uses a hummingbird to show us how intense and fleeting life can be. The hummingbird's fast heartbeat and short life are like a big metaphor for living life to the max. Doyle says, “A hummingbird's heart is a lot of the hummingbird. Joyas voladoras, flying jewels, the first white explorers in the Americas called them, and the white men had never seen such creatures, for hummingbirds came into the world only in the Americas” (Doyle). It's a cool picture, right? It reminds us that life doesn't last forever, and we're all kind of delicate. Doyle wants us to see that we're all in this together, no matter what species we are, and that we should be kind to each other because we're all going through the same stuff.

Now, Piercy's "Barbie Doll" is a bit different. It's all about how society puts a ton of pressure on us to look a certain way, especially women. The poem follows a girl who gets judged for not looking like the perfect Barbie doll. Piercy sets the scene with a girl who's just doing her thing, playing with dolls and stuff, but things take a dark turn as she grows up and faces harsh criticism for not fitting society's beauty standards. Piercy uses the Barbie doll as a symbol of these unrealistic expectations and shows us how damaging it can be to try and be something we're not. She wants us to think about how society values looks over who we really are inside. It's a tough lesson, but an important one.

Even though Doyle and Piercy have different ways of telling their stories, they both touch on a similar idea: the struggle between being true to ourselves and trying to fit in with what others expect from us. Doyle shows us with the hummingbird that living authentically, even if it's short, is beautiful and real. Piercy, on the other hand, warns us about the dangers of giving in to society's pressures and losing sight of who we really are. Both stories make us think about what it means to be ourselves in a world that's always telling us who we should be.

Wrapping It Up

So, in a nutshell, "Joyas Voladoras" and "Barbie Doll" are all about showing us how vulnerable and complicated life can be. Doyle wants us to appreciate the short, intense moments we have, while Piercy wants us to question society's shallow standards and embrace our true selves. They both remind us that it's important to be real and true to who we are, even when it's tough. So, let's take their lessons to heart and remember that being ourselves is pretty awesome, flaws and all. Cool, right?