Compare George Wilson and Tom. What did each man learn about his wife, and how did they each react?

George Wilson is a pitiful character who evokes much sympathy. He is obviously desperate to make his wife happy, but unfortunately lacks the means to do so. He clearly loves Myrtle but has been unable to afford her the life she so much desires - a life of comfort and wealth. They live in poverty in The Valley of Ashes, surrounded by grey, grimy decay - all symbolic of their miserable existence.

When George suspects that Myrtle is having an affair, he decides to hole her up in the room above the garage. His discovery, “I just got wised up to something funny the last two days,” has made him physically ill and he has decided that he and Myrtle would be moving West, "whether she wants to or not." He obviously believes that this would put an end to his wife's affair.

Tom Buchanan, on the other hand, is exceedingly rich. He is conceited and spoilt by wealth. His haughtiness makes him boorish and racist. He believes that women are mere playthings and he continuously indulges in extra-marital liaisons. When he discovers that Daisy is involved in an affair with Jay Gatsby, he is shocked:

"She had told him that she loved him, and Tom Buchanan saw. He was astounded. His mouth opened a little, and he looked at Gatsby, and then back at Daisy as if he had just recognized her as some one he knew a long time ago."

Tom later confronts Jay about the affair and reminds Daisy about some of the tender moments they had shared on their honeymoon and other occasions. The altercation between Tom and Jay frightens Daisy until she eventually relents and declares to Jay:

"Oh, you want too much!”

These words spawn the unravelling of all that Jay had planned for himself and Daisy and gives Tom the upper hand, so much so that he later confidently instructs his wife:

“You two start on home, Daisy,” “In Mr. Gatsby’s car.” 

What is Brutus's internal conflict / inner conflict in Julius Caesar?

In "Julius Caesar" Brutus has internal struggles about his feelings for Caesar.  Part of the problem within Brutus is the fact that he can be influenced, a fact that Cassius is aware of:  "Who is so firm that cannot be seduced?" (I,ii,312) Thus, Cassius persuades Brutus that Caesar is "ambitious" and desires to be crowned as a king and become a tyrant.  In the second act,scene i, Brutus in soliloquy ponders the idea that Caesar seeks power.  He reasons

I have not known when his affections swayed/More than his reason.  But 'tis a common proof/That lowliness is young ambition's ladder/Wereto the climber upward turns his face;/But when he once attains the upmost round,/He then unto the ladder turns his back,/Looks in the clouds, scorning the base degrees/By which he did ascend.  So Caesar may(ll.22-27)

Brutus worries that once Caesar is given so much power, he may forget "the base degrees," the events and people who helped him ascend. So, he decides that Caesar is like "a serpent's egg"(l.32) and the senators must "kill him in the shell" (l.34).  Once Brutus reaches this decision, he is still troubled because he does love Caesar.  Finally, he decides to put the welfare of the state above his personal feelings.  The irony to this is that Brutus is unsuccessful in his leadership and dies tragically himself.

What is a good example of a literary device in Cormac McCarthy's book All the Pretty Horses?

Of course, every novel is full of examples of literary devices, and so what you need to do is go back over the novel and carefully re-read it, paying attention to aspects that could be considered literary devices. Here is a paragraph that contains many from the first couple of pages:

As he turned to go he heard the train. He stopped and waited for it. He could feel it under his feet. It came boring out of the east like some ribald satellite of the coming sun howling and bellowing in the distance and the long light of the headlamp running through the tangled mesquite brakes and creating out of the night the endless fenceline down the dead straight right of way and sucking it back again wire and post mile on mile into the darkness after where the boilersmoke disbanded slowly along the faint new horizon and the sound came laggins and he stood still holding his hat in his hands  the passing groundshudder watching it till it was gone. Then he turned and went back to the house.

Obviously a number of literary devices you can identify in this one paragraph. Consider the simile that is used to describe the train: "like some ribald satellite of the coming sun". Also note the onomoatopoeia in "howling and bellowing". Also note the hyperbole in "endless fenceline". What others can you spot in this paragraph? And also, think about what effect these literary devices are creating. How do they make the train appear? Hope this helps - good luck as you try to spot others and comment on their significance!

What is a description of King Alcinous?

King Alcinous is the King of the Phaecians.  He is a very gracious man to Odysseus.  He is honorable to Odysseus because he is hospitable, just as he's supposed to be to beggars and strangers (in case they may be gods in disguise).  He gives him a large feast with much to eat and drink after getting him all cleaned up.  Then he provides entertainment to everyone in the court with the bard who sings of the Trojan War. This brings tears to Odyseus' eyes and Alcinous then asks his name and where he is from.  So he is an intelligent man because he sensed that Odyseus was someone respected. He is also gracious because he is eager to help Odysseus--both to get him food and drink and because he has his fast ship (for which he is known) that takes Odysseus home swiftly and safely. He even offers his daughter's hand to him in marriage.

In "Death of a Salesman", what were some of the things Willy tried to teach Biff as a boy?

Willie taught Biff a lot of things that didn't serve him well in life.  He taught him that being "well liked" was the most important thing, more important than real skills (like algebra).  When Biff's scholarship was on the line because his teacher dared fail him just because he couldn't pass the test, he went to Boston to find his father because he knew that the teacher would not be able to say no to a man like his Dad.  Unfortunately, what he found in Boston brought both their lives crashing down around them.

In Lord of the Flies, what makes Jack powerful?

Many things make Jack powerful. First is that he is hungry for power. Second in that he is physically big. But ultimately Jack is powerful because he is prepared to use the wild power of the uncivilised tyrant.

Jack is Saddam Hussein gassing the Kurdish villages that may contain rebels. He is Stalin starving millions of Ukrainians as a warning to others. He is Pol Pot killing the middle class Cambodians because they are a threat to his rule.

Jack is powerful because he doesn't care about 'the rules' of society and is determined to be absolute ruler, at any cost.

What metaphor is used to describe Miss Emily in the first paragraph of "A Rose for Emily"?

Using a metaphor, the narrator describes Emily as a "fallen monument". After the narrator says, "the whole town went to her funeral" the metaphor of a fallen monument adds additional stature to Miss Emily and shows the importance of her to the town. However, the idea that she is a "fallen" monument foreshadows some of the more sinister events that will follow in the story. Faulkner then adds more suspense by saying that no one had seen the inside of her house "in at least ten years." Thus, in one paragraph, the author has sparked our curiosity about the true character of this woman.