What are the similarities and differences between Daniel and Joel in The Bronze Bow?

Daniel and Joel both come from Jewish families, were raised in Galilee, and have one female sibling. They are both loyal, courageous young men who feel strongly about the Roman occupation. They both take a vow to fight for Israel and "For God's Victory" (Speare 85). Daniel and Joel both recruit individuals to join Rosh's band and participate in raids and various plans to undermine Rome and its sympathizers. As the novel progresses, both boys travel to listen to Jesus speak. At the end of the novel, they both abandon Rosh's band and chose to leave Israel's future in God's hands.

Although Daniel and Joel share many similarities, they both come from drastically different backgrounds. Daniel comes from a poor family, has experienced the loss of both parents, and chose to live in the mountains with Rosh. Joel, on the other hand, has been raised in a wealthy family, has been given an opportunity to become a rabbi, and lives in the city. Throughout the majority of the novel, Daniel is an angry individual who seeks vengeance, while Joel is an understanding individual who spends the majority of his time studying. Daniel is also known for his physical prowess while Joel is known for intelligence. Despite their differences, both boys feel strongly about Israel's independence and choose help Rosh's cause.

Daniel and Leah, brother and sister, are both deeply traumatized, as one might expect, by seeing the Romans crucify their father as a rebel, as well by the execution of their uncle and the subsequent death of their mother. Both siblings deal with their trauma in unhealthy ways.

Daniel's unhealthy response to trauma is to become obsessively filled with hatred of the Romans and to devote his life to revenge on them. This causes him to turn inward and leads him to have a difficult time dealing with other people. Leah responds by developing agoraphobia, a fear of open spaces, and by screaming in the night, leading people to believe she has been possessed by demons. Leah's trauma is more overt than Daniel's, but she can be understood, especially in her screaming, as expressing the pain Daniel has stuffed down inside.

The two are alike, too, in ultimately finding healing not in hate or withdrawal but through their encounters with Jesus. Jesus, through his love and compassion, as well as his ability to really perceive Leah and Daniel as fully human, is able to heal both of them. Leah is relieved of her traumatic, screaming "demons," while Daniel's hate, which has warped him, is healed by Jesus's words and acts of love.

Hezron is different to Daniel in that he is scathing of the zealots and their determination to rid Israel of the Romans by force. As far as he's concerned the zealots, though claiming to be proud Jews, are really no different from the Romans. This is because they believe, like their oppressors, that what really matters in life is earthly power.

But Hezron thinks this attitude is wholly mistaken. He argues that the Law of Moses is so much more powerful than the might of the Roman Empire. The Romans' power is transient; one day, it will end. But the Law of Moses is eternal; it will always rule the hearts of every devout Jew. It is futile, then, for Daniel and the other zealots to replace one form of earthly power with another.

We can see, then, that Hezron has a completely different attitude toward life than the much more worldly Daniel. Initially, at any rate. Because, in due course, Daniel will come to be disillusioned with the violent criminal activities of Rosh and his gang of desperadoes, and will eventually follow Jesus along the path of peace. In that sense, Daniel will come to realize, like Hezron, that a higher law, however so defined, is so much more important than the temporal laws instituted by man.

In The Bronze Bow, what similarities exist between Hezron and Daniel?

Despite their many differences, Hezron and Daniel are surprisingly similar throughout the novel The Bronze Bow. Daniel and Hezron are both passionate about the Roman occupation of Galilee. In Chapter 5, Daniel asks Hezron if he has forgotten the plight of the Jewish people, and Hezron replies by saying, "we have not forgotten. We feel as you do. In his heart every Jew grieves at our captivity" (Speare 67). Daniel and Hezron both are dismayed that they are subjects of Rome, and they both are waiting for the day God will judge their captors. Both Hezron and Daniel share an affinity for their traditional Jewish roots, but choose to defend their culture differently. When Joel jokingly comments that Daniel would be a sensation in the gymnasium, Daniel says that he would never set foot in it. Hezron shares the same feelings about the Roman gymnasium as Daniel does and comments that it is a shame that some Jewish youths take part in the games. Hezron and Daniel both believe that the Jews should remain separate from Romans and not be influenced by Roman culture. They are also both fiercely loyal individuals. Daniel is loyal to Rosh's clan on the mountain and his vow, while Hezron is loyal to the Law.

In The Bronze Bow, how are the boys in Daniel and Joel's band alike and different?

In Elizabeth George Speare's novel The Bronze Bow, Daniel and the boys who join his band all consider themselves Zealots. As such, they deplore the oppression of the Jewish people by the Romans, and they are determined to do whatever they must to end it, even if they have to fight for their freedom.

Daniel's dedication to the Zealot cause stems from the crucifixion of his father by the Romans. Even as an eight-year-old, he vows revenge, and by the time he is thirteen, he is living on the mountain with Rosh and his band of outlaws. When his grandmother dies, however, Daniel returns to his village of Ketzah to care for his sister, Leah, and work as a blacksmith. Daniel is a strong young man, talented at his work and dedicated to his cause, but he has a streak of hatred in him that gives him a sharp tongue, a scowling face, and occasionally a tendency towards violence. He is, however, a natural leader, and the other boys look to him for guidance.

Joel comes from a wealthy family. Although trained as a sandal maker, he has dreams of becoming a rabbi, and he studies the Scriptures deeply and finds in them reasons for his Zealot beliefs. He is the spiritual force in the group, always ready with a reading from the Hebrew Bible (and often an explanation of it) to encourage his friends. Joel is quite clever and easily comes up with schemes to accomplish whatever the group sets out to do. He even enjoys going “under cover” as a fishmonger to discover information.

Nathan is a young man who becomes a Zealot after his father takes a job as a tax collector to support their family. Nathan's friends attack and beat him for his father's action, for a tax collector is viewed as a collaborator with the Romans and a traitor to the Jews. Nathan's bitterness leads him to join Daniel's band of Zealots. He remains active even after he marries.

Kemuel, like Joel, comes from a wealthy family in Capernaum. He is an idealistic, fiery young man who says he is “tired of words” and has “no use for children's games” (160). He wants action against the Romans as soon as possible. Daniel isn't sure about Kemuel at first, for he senses that Kemuel is “used to having his own way,” and he notices “an edge of disdain” in the young man's face and voice (160). Kemuel, however, while impatient, is willing to commit to Daniel's band of Zealots, and he becomes a loyal member.

Joktan was a member of Rosh's band of outlaws before coming to live with Daniel. He is a “skinny twelve-year-old” with a noticeable stutter, but he is eager and willing to do all he can to help Daniel's group of Zealots (41). Joktan becomes Daniel's apprentice and almost a younger brother. He is brave, cheerful, and loyal, ready to do everything from drawing water at the well to helping Daniel in the blacksmith shop to running errands to serving as a lookout in a raid.

Daniel, Joel, Nathan, Kemuel, and Joktan are joined by several other young men from the area. They all come from different backgrounds and different family situations, but they are all committed to the Zealot cause to drive the Romans out of their land.

How are the boys in Daniel and Joel's band in The Bronze Bow similar and different?

The boys who join Daniel's and Joel's bands of zealots are similar in that they all share the same goal: to drive the hated Romans out of Israel once and for all. In order to achieve that end, they're prepared to make enormous sacrifices, in some cases leaving behind their loved ones and taking huge risks with their lives. If any of these young men are caught by the Romans, their remaining time on this earth will be decidedly unpleasant, to say the least.

The main difference between the boys in each group stems largely from personality differences between Daniel and Joel. Whereas Daniel is more active, Joel is much more of a thinker than a doer. That's not to say that he and his men aren't actively engaged in rebellion against the Romans, it's just that they tend to rely more on brains than brawn. We can see this when Joel disguises himself as a servant in the marketplace in order to gather intelligence. This way, he gets to find out about the Romans' movements.

The members of Daniel's group are much more likely to engage in hand-to-hand combat than Joel's boys. Like Daniel, most of them have had quite hard upbringings, so they are used to engaging in fisticuffs. For most of them, physical violence is second nature.