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 Sanchez and is granted permission to visit his secret drug plant in Isthmus city.

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.