What is the significance of Bianca's character in Othello?

Bianca is Cassio's mistress in Shakespeare's Othello. Although Cassio is married (the only reference to this occurs at the beginning of the play, when Iago describes Cassio as "a fellow almost damned in a fair wife" (1.1.21)), audiences come to understand that he is having an affair with Bianca on the island of Cyprus. 

With regard to the play's plot, Bianca functions to call Michael Cassio's credibility into question.  Though Cassio is relatively respectful to Bianca, we see evidence that he doesn't take her seriously.  As Othello watches from his hiding spot, he watches Iago question Cassio about Bianca (although Othello thinks they're talking about Desdemona), and Cassio laughs when Iago asks if he plans to marry Bianca.  When she shows up, she throws Desdemona's handkerchief, which Iago had planed in Cassio's room, at Cassio, and Othello sees it. 

Logistically, Cassio's plans with Bianca in Act 5 allow Iago and Roderigo to attack him, as they know he is having dinner with her late at night.  After the plot to kill Cassio goes sour, Iago, in the presence of the Cyprus officials, accuses Bianca of being a whore and tries to implicate her in the attack.  Obviously, though, the truth comes out at the end of the play.

In reference to Macbeth, what would it mean for the play if Lady Macbeth were the third murderer in Act III?

Since Lady Macbeth is not identified as the third murderer
in Shakespeare's Macbeth, and since the only way she could be the
third murderer is to be portrayed as such by a production of the play, and since Lady
Macbeth being the third murderer makes no logical sense, it would mean that some
director and actors took some silly liberties in interpreting the
play. 

Or, if you're asking what it would have done for the
play had Shakespeare written in Lady Macbeth as the third murderer,
the answer to that is that it would show Shakespeare isn't as good as we think he
is.

You see, Lady Macbeth can't even kill the king, because
the sleeping Duncan reminds her of her father.  If she can't kill Duncan, she certainly
isn't going to attempt to kill Fleance.  Plus, by this time in the play Lady Macbeth has
been shut out of the decision-making process.  She doesn't even appear to know about the
murders until after they occur.

Finally, Lady Macbeth makes
plans that work.  She is the planner of the family.  Duncan's assassination comes off
with no problems, until Macbeth varies the plan and kills the grooms.  The plan to kill
Banquo and Fleance fails, and the plan was ill advised in the first place.  Lady Macbeth
would not have devised this plan. 

When George ask why Whitey quit, what does the swamper, Candy, give him?no

Just because.  Candy says that Whitey picked up his check and moved on - gave a couple token excuses, but just wanted to move on down the road.

These men are part of a pretty transient society always looking for the greener grass.  It was pretty common for them to move from job to job for no reason other than to just keep moving.  This is actually in stark contrast to Lennie and George who wish to stay in one place for a while to build up a stake but have to keep moving on because of the bad things that Lenny does.

What special features of the "Elegy" made it so popular?

The poem was Thomas Gray's most influential poem, and has earned him respect as a poet of the time.  The poem is relatively simple, describing a country churhyard at sunset, and calling to mind the mortality of all human beings in the study of the graves being examined.

One of the main reasons it is as popular as it is revolves around the fact that it centers not on popular or heroic figures of the time, but on the common man.  Gray connects the common to the extraordinary man in death, thereby connecting all humans to one another because we are all mortal.

In addition, Gray demonstrates a mixing of two very distinct literary periods.  The poem was written at the end of the Augustan Age and at the beginning of the Romantic period, and the poem has characteristics associated with both literary periods. On the one hand, it has the ordered, balanced phrasing and rational sentiments of Neoclassical poetry. Using heroic quatrains, four line stanzas with an abab rhyme scheme, keeps the poem on the balanced and traditional level.

On the other hand, it tends toward the emotionalism and individualism of the Romantic poets.  Natural imagery of the smallest type is used, references to birds and bettles and such.  In using this style, Gray idealizes and elevates the common man.

What were some of the things that influenced Billy Collins' works?

Billy Collins has reported that he was influenced by the "contemporary" poets he was able to read in Poetry magazine growing up, people like Karl Shapiro, Howard Nemerov and Reed Whittemore. Along with them, he credits the movement and spirit of the cultural group the "Beats", or Beat Generation, from the late 1950's and early 1960's. This generation of people and writers valued spontaneity and open emotion, as well as a struggle against social conformity. They fought against organized religion and organized schooling, and are often referred to as the inspiration for the "hippies".

Besides those modern influences, Collins also reports that he wanted to be a newer Wallace Stevens, one of the first modernist poets. Stevens emphasized consciousness in his poetry, and wrote with little attention to conformed styles. Instead, he used obscure allusions and and attention to emotion.

From Julius Caesar, explain the two changes in the conspirators' plan recommended by Brutus?

After Brutus allows the conspirators into his house in Act
2, Scene 1, he almost immediately begins asserting his opinion on how the assassination
should be carried out (even though he is the last to join the group). First, Brutus
orders the others to come forward and shake hands with him.  Cassius suggests not simply
shaking hands but also swearing an oath to one another, and Brutus quickly
replies,

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"No, not an oath"
(2.1.115).

Brutus goes on to
explain that if the times they are living in are not enough to keep them faithful to
their cause then they should just forget about the plan and go back to
bed.

Brutus's second change is that the group should not
include the respected, older senator, Cicero.  While Metellus believes that Cicero's
involvement in their plan would strengthen their support after the assassination, Brutus
does not want to tell Cicero of their plot because Cicero will not follow what other men
have initiated.  He is too much of a leader to do so.

The
most significant part of the planning that Brutus changes is to not kill Antony along
with Caesar.  The other conspirators believe that Antony will be too strong a force to
be reckoned with if they let him live, but Brutus argues
that

"Our
course will seem too bloody, Caius Cassius, / To cut the head off and then hack the
limbs, / Like wrath in death and envy afterwards, / For Antony is but a limb of Caesar"
(2.1.164-167).

His words
demonstrate that he is concerned about their reputations after the assassination and
that he thinks that Antony will be powerless after his head (Caesar) is removed.  This
decision on Brutus's part is, of course, pivotal in the play's
action.

What readers should note from this scene is that
Brutus disagrees with virtually every suggestion made by Cassius.  Cassius, once the
plot's ringleader, relinquishes leadership to Brutus, and in doing so, seals his own
fate.

"Tom and Daisy might treat Gatsby in a despicable manner, but Gatsby is responsible for his own destruction." To what extent do u agree/disagree?To...

Concerning the issue you ask about in The Great
Gatsby, arguing absolutely, either way, is difficult.  The novel, like most
high quality, sophisticated fiction, is ambiguous.  The book isn't a good guy and bad
guy kind of book.  Characters, like actual people, are mixtures of good and bad traits
in the novel. 

Tom tells Wilson that Gatsby owns the car
that hits Myrtle.  Wilson kills Gatsby.  Tom is guilty.  But it's not that
simple. 

Tom likely doesn't know that Daisy was actually
driving the car.  Daisy doesn't confess to him.  Daisy guilty.  But it's not that
simple. 

Gatsby plays a part in Daisy not telling Tom, and
Gatsby certainly doesn't blame her.  He lurks outside of her house all night in order to
protect her from Tom.  He still loves her.  Is Gatsby guilty of his own
murder? 

One could go on and on in this way.  You could
argue that Wilson pulls the trigger, so he and he alone is responsible.  Tom and Daisy
certainly couldn't be charged with Gatsby's murder.  They didn't put Wilson up to
it. 

And Gatsby's illusion is Gatsby's illusion.  Is Daisy
supposed to lie and pretend that she never loved Tom just to fulfill Gatsby's
illusion? Gatsby tries to recapture a past that never was.  He is on a quest that is
doomed to fail.  Yet, does that mean that he causes his own
destruction? 

In short, I suggest that your question is
unanswerable.  I suggest that to answer your question is to simplify an ambiguous novel
that, in terms of its ambiguity, accurately reflects
life.

But, I know you have an assignment to do, so, if I
had to, I'd go with Gatsby causing his own downfall.  Though he, like others in the
novel, is a victim of Tom and Daisy, he is the foolish one who chases after a dream that
never was.  Daisy never loved him the way that he loves her.  And when it comes down to
it, he isn't satisfied with having Daisy love him now, in the book's present.  She does
love him and is ready to choose him.  But that isn't enough.  He has to maintain the
illusion that their love is something special, that it is never ending, and that Daisy
always loved him and never loved Tom.  As Daisy tells him:  he asks too
much. 

Gatsby causes his own downfall.  There, I've
perjured myself for you.  Hope it helps!