Licence To Kill Essay, Research Paper
1.The three qualities that I felt James Bond most possessed throughout the story
were determination, bravery, and intelligence. In the next several paragraphs I will explain
how incidents in the story revealed each quality portrayed by James Bond.
Determination
In the beginning of the story a drug lord named, Frans Sanchez, severely injures
James Bond?s partner, Felix Leiter, and kills his wife Della Leiter after escaping an
attempted arrest by Felix. After this incident Bond becomes determined to capture
Sanchez, bring his drug empire down, and avenge what he had done to his partner and
close friend Felix Leiter. Bond shows such strong determination that he disobeys his chief,
?M?, and the secret service branch of London in order to continue his mission with
Sanchez. Bond was ordered by ?M? to drop the case and head to Istanbul where he would
be briefed on his next mission. However, Bond told his chief that he was not done with his
mission and that if he was not allowed to continue with it he would have to resign from
the secret service. Determined to bring Sanchez down and avenge all the pain which his
friend inflected he eventually gave in his resignation and became a free agent.
Intelligence
James Bond shows intelligence throughout the entire story. From his surprising
attack tactics, to how he tricks villains and enemies into doing exactly what he wants.
Bond was the type of man that was usually in control of the situation. There comes a point
in the story where Bond must figure a way out to turn two major druglords against each
other, William Krest and Frans Sanchez, in order for him to gain the trust of Sanchez so
he can learn more about his drug organization and what he was about. He devises a plan
that convinces Sanchez that Krest was stealing millions of dollars from him and that he
was going to meet with the Chinese to plan an assassination in his name. Eventually Bond
thinks of a way to set Krest up so that Sanchez believes him. The plan was so well though
out that it surprised me how intelligent Bond actually was. He was in complete control of
everything that happened and he eventually gained the trust of Sanchez and was granted
permission to go to his secret drug plant in Isthmus city.
Bravery
There are many times throughout the story where James Bond shows bravery and
courage. For example in one chapter in the story Bond attempts to enter an aquarium,
owned by William Krest, where he believes Sanchez is using submergible robots to
transport cocaine to ships out in the sea. Not knowing exactly what was inside, Bond
sneaks into the warehouse through tunnels located under the aquarium. Once inside he
encounters several enemies which cause problems for him. However, Bond makes the
reader feel that he is fearless as he goes in and takes out each enemy one by one in such a
professional matter, that of which you would expect from a secret agent. Bond survives
this part of the story and eventually escapes to follow Sanchez towards his secret estate.
2.Beowulf and James Bond each encounter enemies and get involved in battles
which are actually quite similar to each other. In Beowulf, the hero encounters a fire
breathing dragon that has attacked his city and eventually will kill him when they battle
one another. There is also a point in the story where Bond faces a challenge, like that of
Beowulf, where he is put to the test and comes close to his death.
Bond was attempting to assassinate Sanchez by means of using a sniper rifle and
shooting at him from a near by building. While in position and ready to fire, Bond
becomes ambushed by two Chinese ninjas, hired by Krest to capture him and find out
more about him. The two ninjas were a great challenge for Bond as the dragon was for
Beowulf. Also comparable to Beowulf Bond decides to fight the ninjas in hand to hand
combat even though he is armed, just like when Beowulf fought Grendel in the mead hall.
Bond was able to hold them off for a while but eventually the two ninjas were to much for
him. As this part of the story moves along Bond gets to the point where he can barely
fight back and is helplessly nearing his death. In Beowulf, the hero is let to fight the
dragon alone until Wiglaf comes to his aid and helps him to defeat the dragon. In the story
Bond is about to receive a death blow when suddenly Pamela Bouvier and Chinese
officers break in and help Bond. They arrest the ninjas and save Bond from near death. As
you can see there were several parts in the story I read that were similar in a way to
Beowulf.
3.Mostly throughout the story, James Bond was always in control of what was to
happen to him as well as others. However, like every hero in a story he faces many
obstacles which cause him to lose control of his fate. In the next two paragraphs I will
discuss two incidents from the story. One where he is in control of his fate, and one where
he is not.
Bond was a very intelligent individual that planned his ideas and tactics so well that
he always knew the outcome and consequences of his plans. For example, when Bond
came up with the plan to turn both druglords against each other he knew exactly what was
going to occur. I will discuss this in more detail. Bond realized that in order for him to get
close to Sanchez and his organization he had to eliminate obstacles that were a threat to
him. Bond saw that Krest was causing problems for him, therefore he planned to frame
Krest in order to the trust of Sanchez for the purpose of his mission. Bond was in
complete control of what was about to occur. He framed Krest and causes Sanchez to
believe that Krest was also plotting to assassinate him. Bond also placed suitcases filled
with Sanchez?s money in Krest?s meeting room so that Sanchez could believe that Krest
was stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from him. Bond would eventually become
close to Sanc
An incident in which Bond does not have any control over his fate is when he is in
the city of Isthmus at Sanchez?s drug plant. One of Sanchez?s men, Dario, reveals the true
of James Bond to Sanchez. Bond would eventually be held captive when Sanchez finds
out he was a former secret agent and that he was involved in his arrest a few weeks
earlier. Unable to escape he loses control of his fate and does not know what is about to
happen to him next. Bond is held in a room where he will wait for two of Sanchez?s men
to take him to the grinding machine where he will be left to die. Eventually Bond holds on
to the walls of the grinding machine for dear life, but eventually his friend Pamela Bouvier
comes to his rescue once again and he escapes again to go after Sanchez.
4.The main conflict affecting James Bond throughout the story was that he was
attempting to capture Sanchez and bring down his empire because he had caused severe
injury to his partner, Felix Leiter, and had killed Felix?s wife which was a close friend of
Bond. Revenge was his main objective. However, this was not easy for Bond, as outside
resistance became normal to him after every attempt to capture Sanchez failed. For
example, when he was trying to assassinate Sanchez, two Chinese ninjas ambushed him
and
ruined the attack.
Bond solves his problem in the end of the story when he finally kills Sanchez. After
Bond had destroyed Sanchez?s drug plant, Sanchez makes an attempt to escape with six
gasoline tankers filled with a liquefied cocaine substance. In the process, Bond destroys
each tanker one by one ending Sanchez?s drug trade. The last tanker to be destroyed
spilled the substance, which also had gasoline mixed with the coke, all over the road they
were on and also on Sanchez?s clothes. Sanchez attempted to kill Bond with a machete,
but Bond merely took out his lighter and flicked it at Sanchez. Bond at this moment said, ?
This is for Felix,? and set Sanchez on fire killing him with much pain. Bond had avenged
his partner and solved his conflict. He destroyed Sanchez and his empire all at once.
Bond suffers severely in the entire process. From physical pain as well as mental
pain. His close friend and partner, Felix, was brutally tortured as Sanchez tried to feed
him to the sharks. This really affected Bond emotionally. That is why he wanted to avenge
his partner. Throughout the story bond suffers physical pain as he is in constant fights and
dilemmas with many individuals. Bond is also forced to resign from the agency which he
so adored for many years. This too affects him emotionally as he misses the secret agency.
However, they do help him out throughout the story. Overall, Bond suffers through the
entire process but is able to overcome them as he finally kills Sanchez in the end of the
story.
5.My favorite part of the story, which I found to be extraordinary and sensational,
was when Bond destroyed the six cocaine filled gasoline tankers and killed Sanchez in the
process. In this part of the story you can really see why James Bond is considered a hero.
His bravery, courage, determination, and many other hero like qualities are brought out as
he tries to bring Sanchez down.
After destroying Sanchez?s drug plant, by setting fire to it, Bond follows Sanchez
as he tries to escape with six cocaine filled tankers towards Isthmus city airport. Pamela
Bouvier flies a crop duster which helps Bond to catch up to Sanchez and the tankers.
Bond then hangs on the outside of the plane and allows Pamela to fly just close enough to
a tanker so that he can jump down on it. After jumping on the tanker Bond moves towards
the window of the driver, opens the door, and pulls the driver out while he jumps into the
seat and regains control of the tanker. Sanchez was riding in a tanker also and he realizes
that Bond had caught up to him and was trying to destroy the tankers. He then arms his
tanker with four missiles and aims them towards the tanker that Bond was in. He pulled
the trigger and released a missile. It screeched as it headed towards the target. It flew right
underneath Bond?s tanker and hit the tanker in front of him. The tanker went up in flames
and caused James to swerve and lose control of the vehicle. As he was swerving and
increasing speed he sideswiped another tanker right off the road and over the mountain
edge. Realizing what Sanchez had done he decides not to fire anymore missiles. When
Bond finally gains control of the tanker, some of Sanchez?s men drive up close enough
and fill the tanker with bullets from their uzi?s. The tanker catches fire and Bond jumps
out of the tanker as he drives it off the cliff. Pamela then drives up towards Bond in a cab
and they head towards the tankers once again. You can really sense the determination of
Bond as he continues to go after Sanchez. Pamela drives up to the last remaining tanker
and realizes that Sanchez was in this one. Bond fires the front window out and crawls
onto the front of the car as Pamela drives close enough for him to reach the ladder at the
back of the tanker. As Bond is climbing up the ladder two of Sanchez?s men fire at him
and set fire to the tanker. Sanchez brakes hard and Bond goes flying off as the tanker rolls
and flips. Bond in his mind thinks that Sanchez could not have survived the crash, bur
Sanchez had jumped out of the tanker just before it flipped. Gasoline was now
everywhere, including on Sanchez?s clothes. Bond then notices Sanchez walking towards
him, but he is to weak to get up and attack. Sanchez grabs Bond?s hair and pulls out a
machete. As he is about to strike, Bond pulls out a lighter and yells, ?This is for Felix!!!?
He flicks the lit lighter at him and Sanchez turns into a human fireball. Finally Bond
completed his task and ended it all. This was the part of the book which I found most
interesting and extraordinary.