Thursday, December 26, 2019

Fate And Fate In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight - 741 Words

Fate, many people believe in it, while others believe that it is completely untrue. There is an unstoppable force about fate, no matter what someone does fate will take its course. Throughout many stories a characters fate is illustrated at the end of the story, but sometimes their fate may have a positive or negative effect. In the epic poem Beowulf, the hero battles many enemies and at the same time discovering his destinies. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain must be able to meet his fate as he faces the Green Knight. In the tragedy Macbeth, Macbeth finds ways to try and alter his fate. Fate is portrayed in the epic poem Beowulf as he discovers his heroic destiny, in the epic poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight as Gawain is†¦show more content†¦After the incident with the Green Knight, Gawain must meet the Green knight to receive the blow from the knight. At the end of the poem, Gawain is tricked and must live the rest of his life ashamed because of his belief in a girdle that would protect him. Typically, heroes in stories feel a sense of destiny to go out and complete difficult conquests, Why should I swerve from stern and strange destiny? (3-7) . Gawain felt it was his destiny to take the Green Knights challenge and from that he learns his unexpected fate. In addition, the play by William Shakespeare Macbeth depicts the theme of fate throughout the story. Macbeth encounters three witches in the story who call him a king, All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter! (1.2, 50), confused Macbeth believes in these sayings. Macbeths fate was to be king, until he let his beliefs drive him mad. The witches then tell him that Macduff is a threat to him, Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff. Beware the thane of Fife. Dismiss me. Enough. (4.1, 73-74), he will do anything to protect himself. Fate has a role in Macbeths death after he is killed by Macduff, the witches tell him that no man born of woman will harm him but little does he know that the witchs words were twisted. Throughout the play Macbeth believes in the power of fate but at the same time he starts to alter it himself, Rather than so, come fate into the list, And champion me to th utterance! (3.1, 69-77).Show MoreRelatedBeowulf and Sir Gawain: a Comparison of Two Heroes Essa y1066 Words   |  5 PagesIn Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight there are two heroes that help the present day reader gain insight into what the hero of the Middle Ages would have held as ideals and necessary triumphs. Beowulf and Sir Gawain each fill a different role within their unique societies. Beowulf is a leader and a savior in times of need, willing to go to any length to help another group of people as well as his own kingdom. Sir Gawain is also willing to rise during moments of trouble within his courtRead MoreThe Character Development Of Sir Gawain And The Green Knight873 Words   |  4 Pagesstructure. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight dramatically demonstrates how the Green Knight’s monomythic roles of the Evil Figure who is Ultimately Good, mentor, and herald contribute to the conflicts that lead to the character development of Sir Gawain throughout the poem and ultimately influence the work’s themes. Even though the Green Knight turns good at the end of the story, he still presents Gawain with a variety of difficult challenges throughout the poem that make him appear evil. The Green KnightRead MoreHeroism In Antigone And Sir Gawain And The Green Knight917 Words   |  4 Pagesdoes unordinary and brave actions, and others tend look up to them because of their heroism. In Antigone and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, there are multiple characters that embody the characteristics of a hero. Antigone is a Greek writing that exemplifies what it means to stand for what you believe in as well as having a tragic downfall due to ones own fault. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a Middle English work that precisely goes through the Hero’s Journey. The two characters in Antigone thatRead MoreThe Translation Of Sir Gawain And The Green Knight By Simon Armitage Essay1506 Words   |  7 Pagesthe method of defining this complex term. It can be used to further define the motivation beh ind the actions we partake in daily, so much so that certain individuals have created text involving its complication. In the translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Simon Armitage, an excellent perspective of our conscious and its major effects on our actions has been generated. With numerous definitions on conscience, we must decide between the most appropriate explanation in regards to this readingRead MoreBeowulf: The Selfless Hero Essay examples722 Words   |  3 PagesBeowulf. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a poem of bravery by one of King Arthur’s knights. Sir Gawain takes up the deed of playing a Christmas game with the challenging Green Knight. The Green Knight takes a blow from an ax at the hand of Sir Gawain, and in one year and one day, the Green Knight is to reciprocate the action to Sir Gawain. While Sir Gawain was heroic in his deed, Beowulf shows a certain selflessness in his bouts makes him a better hero than Sir Gawain. Sir Gawain was heroicRead MoreThe Art of Courtly Love, Consolation of Philosophy, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight1454 Words   |  6 PagesThe Art of Courtly Love, Consolation of Philosophy, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Part 1: Consolation of Philosophy, written by Boethius 1. Boethius was a popular member of the senatorial family. He was a philosopher that agreed with Plato that government should be solely in the hands of wise men. After becoming consul, charges of treason were brought against him. He lived in a time in Roman society when everyone was mainly Christian. He was an Arian Christian and believed that ChristRead MorePaganism In Beowulf1683 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Christ-like manner,† for the benefit of all people. Although his yearning for fame and glory demonstrate that he is as flawed as any mortal, the concession of his own life was reminiscent of Christ. Beowulf accepted his fate and the end of his life adhered with the acceptance of Christ’s own fate. Although these differences of religious ideologies may, on the surface, seem as a conflict of interests, they work harmoniously to craft an entertaining tale. This collision of religious principles was indicativeRead MoreSir Gawain Essay784 Words   |  4 Pages Sir Gawain Essay In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain continuously proves his knightly virtues and code of honor. Chivalry includes bravery, honor, and courtesy. He proves that he is in fact a real; Knight. He shows his bravery by shying away from nothing and no one. He proves his honor and courtesy to everyone he meets by showing respect to all whether he receives it back or not. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Sir Gawain shows his bravery the first moment he has the chance to, whenRead MoreSir Gawain And The Green Knight927 Words   |  4 PagesBoth Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Franklin’s Tale are set in a world where the laws of nature and order are turned upside down through the use of magic. In this Medieval world, death is escaped, men have the ability to shapeshift, and the impossible becomes entirely possible. What the Christian God set as earthly law, magic, created by the devil himself, subverts into illogical manifestations. Through their works, the authors of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Franklin’s Tale portrayRead MoreFate Or Free Will Controls Human Lives1609 Words   |  7 PagesGenerally, fate refers to the development of events beyond a person’s control (Aurobindo). As such, a fatalist is a person who believes that whatever happens is, and always was, unavoidable. Moreover, such a person strongly believes that he or she has no control over what happens the next moment, tomorrow, next year, or several years to come. Free will, on the other hand, is formed by the power of sanction (Aurobindo). In other words, it is consent by the spirit that it shall not be bound but that

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

What Brought on the Financial Crisis of 2008 - 737 Words

There are many different views as to what brought on the financial crisis of 2008. One of these views are that of global imbalances. On the one hand, the United States have an extremely large current account deficit. On the other, there are countries, especially oil-exporting economies and China in particular, with large current account surpluses. The concept of global or external imbalances is often seen as a synonym for this situation. The definition of global imbalances is often vague. There is not one clear definition as it tends to oscillate between different views and can thus be defined in a number of ways. Chinn M.D (2013:68) interprets it as relating to international relationships, which include the private financial account, the current account, or official reserves transactions. Though global imbalances are usually associated with the current account, Chinn specifies that it does not necessarily refer to the current account but actually the rather large degree of the current account balances in absolute values. According to Bracke, et al., (2008:12), global imbalances can be defined as â€Å"External positions of systemically important economies that reflect distortions or entail risks for the global economy.† This definition is then broken up to explain the concept in more detail. According to Bracke, et al., (2008:12), the â€Å"external positions† refer to both the current account balances as well as the financial positions. â€Å"Systemically important economies† refer toShow MoreRelatedLehman Brothers Case Study1703 Words   |  7 Pagesthe United States was the 2008 Lehman Brother’s case. A numerous amount of the general public lost their employment, while investors lost their money during this crisis. 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BernankeRead MoreThe Financial Crisis Is Considered By Many People As One Of The Worst Recession Since The Great Depression Essay1530 Words   |  7 PagesThe 2008 Financial Crisis is considered by many people as one of the worst recession since the Great Depression that occurred fr om 1929-1939. The loss for that week was an astounding $30 billion. This was ten times more than the annual federal budget and far more than the U.S. had spent in WWI (30B dollars would be equivalent to $377,587,032,770.41 today). Additionally after posing a huge effect on the U.S economy, the financial crisis expanded to Europe and the rest of the world. It brought downRead MoreThe Financial Crisis Of 2007-2008928 Words   |  4 PagesDefine: Introduction The Financial Crisis of 2007-2008 was considered to be the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression in the decade preceding World War II. The Global Financial Crisis threatened large range of the financial organizations. Although the central banks and other banks were trying to keep away from the crisis, the stock market still suffered a huge decline internationally. Other than the global stock market, the house market was also influenced greatly, causing the unemploymentRead MoreFinancial Crisis After The Great Depression1229 Words   |  5 Pages2008 Financial Crisis Not since the great depression was there such a devastating economic crisis as the 2008 financial crisis. A crisis rooted from the burst of the housing bubble in the U.S. thus leading to the government being brought down, ruined economies, crumbled financial corporations and impoverish lives of numerous individuals. As reported in McClean and Nocera’s All the Devils Are Here: The Hidden History of the Financial Crisis, â€Å"the seeds of [the] financial disaster were sown more thanRead MoreDeterminants Of The Crisis Of Colander s A Manifesto For Economic Sense1439 Words   |  6 Pagesnumerous determinants that resulted in the Financial Crisis of 2008, wage stagnation for the majority of Americans and increasing income inequality are among the most influential. The housing bubble that was fueled by subprime lending and indebtedness was a subsequent result of these two determinants. This essay will analyze the two factors (income inequality and wage stagnation) that contributed to the onset of the crisis, factors that are prolonging the crisis--expressed from the position of Colander’sRead MoreThe Economic Crisis Of The United States1680 Words   |  7 Pages Although the global economic crisis in 2008 occurred in many countries around the world, it was originally initiated by the United States of America. Being as though the United States is one of the world s most hegemonies countries after its economy suffered from an immense downturn many smaller countries were affected, most specifically the Caribbean. Many countries within the Caribbean were affected greatly by the recession due to the fact that most of their gross domestic product comes fromRead MoreGlobal Financial Crisis : The Fall Of Lehman Brothers1250 Words   |  5 PagesBrothers in 2008 as the major factor for the economic downturns leading to the Global Financial Crisis, or 2008 financial crisis, proves this point. Started from the irresponsible handling of mortgages of consumers, the prices of houses in America sank. Interest rates fell while capital ratios became lax. It was a case of impending Great Depression. Given its role of lending funds and providing technical assistance, IMF extended its help to adversely affected countries of the 2008 financial crisis. WhenRead MoreFinancial Crisis : The Fiscal Crisis1355 Words   |  6 Pagessecond week of October in 2008 was the worst week for stock market during 75 years, Buckley (2011) state that the worst record was the Dow Jones Industrial Averages dropped 22.1%, but it fell 44.3% then. In general, a financial crisis is not an accident; it may take several years and has complex and interlaced causes (Claessens and Kodres, 2014). The 2007-08 global financial crisis is a typical case due to long-term non-intervention policy and loose regulation for financial market from government.Read MoreThe Wall Street Meltdown1627 Words   |  6 PagesThe Wall Street Meltdown The Meltdown is a PBS special on the events of the financial crisis of 2008, in a timeline format, revealing the thinking behind decisions made during the fateful months before the stock market crash in August of that year. Some financial gurus on Wall Street devised a plan to bundle several mortgages together into a group, and then selling that bundle to another group of investors looking to invest in securities. The lender did not need to earn money from the loans he

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Conscience of Antebellum Protestantism †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Conscience of Antebellum Protestantism. Answer: Introduction The Zwinglis programme of church reform is a Switzerland religious movement propagated by Ulrich Zwingli. The programme, majorly protestant, was meant to cleanse the church owing to the deviation from the traditional norms. After launching the reformation, Zwingli gained support from Mark Reust and a majority population from Zurich. Although Zwingli died before fulfilling his dreams, his followers spread his ideologies in Europe, England and later in America. Zwingli is an example of the unnoticed figures who lonely rose up against the tyranny of the Roman Catholic Churches in the 16th century. The reforms were prompted by the insight that corruption had robbed the Roman Catholic the integrity at the end of the middle ages. The reformation in Switzerland came just after the reformations in German by Martin Luther. Unlike the Reformation in England, Zwingli's reformation was more radical. Just like in German, the Reformation was founded as a religious revitalization movement but unfor tunately ended in a profound political dissection between the cities of the western, northern and the conservative countryside regions of the central Switzerland.[1] The religious reformation was majorly characterized by an emphasis on the personal relationship with God.[2] Zwingli taught that the issue of salvation was a solely reserved act for God. It could never occur as a result of earthly intercessions by the Vatican or the other religious authority. Also, some significant mysteries of the faith' were overlooked including The Annunciation of the Virgin, The Immaculate Conception and The Transfiguration of Christ. The Zwinglis programme of church reform was not only tied to spiritual beliefs but also political alignments. Zwinglis religion was founded on the supposition that the church and the society are intertwined and thus are both inseparable.[3] Since the church proceedings affected the society, the decisions about the reformation would be based on the consultations with the municipal councils. Those who spearheaded the reformation highly relied on the support of the political institutions. Ideally, the church is a sub-community existing in a large society, and thus a good rapport was emphasized to ensure good coexistence. However, John Calvin, a major follower of Zwingli, wanted to limit the authority of the magistrate over the church affairs. The closeness between the church and the community has however remained intact Switzerland although at different degrees in various cantons. The reformation movement was also characterized by the rise of the Anabaptists. A breach emerged among the companions of Zwingli over the query of baptism and the intrusion of the government in the church. Zwingli and the magistrate of Zurich used violent means to repress the Anabaptists.[4] The Anabaptist movement suffered maltreatment for centuries. This opposed to his teachings, and thus people questioned his integrity. Zwingli's studies in the renaissance humanist tradition explain why he preached against injustices and the ranks in church. When he went to live in Zurich, he widened his scope of criticism to cover the political topics. He particularly condemned mercenary business which favored the entrepreneurs, businessmen, and the guilds. After the establishment of the reformed church by Huldreich Zwingli, John Calvin rose in power to propel the new religion. The churches practicing Calvinism only survived in the areas where they had a strong state support. During this time, the church was intimately tied to the state. It was believed that for a state to be powerful, the citizens had to be homogenous. Allowing different religious systems to thrive in a single state meant diverse beliefs, and thus this could definitely lead to a divisive state. This could lead to internal conflicts within the state. John Calvin established a Calvinist state which would serve as a training center for all preachers aiming to create religions in the northern Europe. John Knox, the founder of the Presbyterianism in Scotland, was a follower of Calvinism. The reformation embedded in Calvinism strictly emphasized an upright moral conduct and overall righteousness.[5] Calvinism also preached on the need to get rid of much of the hierarchy in the Catholic Church. Popes and Bishops were dismissed, and the congregation was charged with the responsibility to choose their preachers from a team of trained and qualified individuals. The Reformed Churches were majorly run by the individual congregations through governing boards. The act of the Church putting their control in the hands of parishioners was blamed to have aided in generating republican forms of governments by acclimatizing individual people to the assumption that they had a choice and could seek a seat on the local board. Challenges Addressed by Zwingli and fellow Church Reformers The Church Reformation headed by Zwingli was majorly a protest against the Roman Catholic faith.[6] Therefore Rome did not set a blind eye on this. They responded by launching a Counter-Reformation. The resistance to the Reformation started in Spain. Spain, being a country that strongly identified with the Catholic faith, felt offended and protested as a form of patriotism and loyalty to the faith. Just like the protestant Churches gained support in the northern Europe, the Catholics were much backed up by the Spanish kings since the king oversaw the slotting of bishops. This was a blow to the church reformers. Cardinal Ximenes took a move to improve the morality and the education of the Spanish clergy.[7] The Spanish movement was, however, suppressive and led to the rise of the famed inquisition. Any slight deviation from the dictates of the faith was prohibited and at times could attract torture. The monks began to give sermons on the cleansing of the Church and the return to the initial piety. The Papacy of Paul in 1534 preached on the repositioning of the Church from worldliness. Ignatius Loyola was one of the most influential agents of the Catholic faith. Loyola, after he was wounded in the battle of Spain became devotedly religious and wrote a book that formed a basis of the formation of The Society of Jesus.[8]This organization was a perfect plan for the return of the protestant groups to the Catholic faith. It proved successful in some areas. The return to the Catholic faith robbed the Reformed church its converts which would be a major drawback. Zwingli and his followers had to sta nd firm in order to defend the fate of the new faith. In 1529, various reformation movements had taken the world in the race to purify the Church.[9] The leaders of the Reformation all knew one another. Zwingli knew Martin Luther and also praised him publicly. Zwingli referred to Luther as a Hercules and a faithful David who was ready to fight the Lords battles.[10] All the reformists worked in tough political circumstances. However, they were not always in good terms with each other. Although Zwingli saw favor in the eyes of the city council, a group the Anabaptists (radical reformers) attacked him. The Anabaptists argued that Zwingli did not observe the biblical teachings especially in line with the nature of the church and the participants for baptism.[11] Ideally, it would have been more sensible if all the three centers of reformation came together to form a single reformation front. They could have emerged stronger and successful. Baucer tried to bring the reformists together but failed in the mission. They held different ideologi es concerning the interpretation of some parts of the bible. In a unification conference in Marburg Castle, German, reformists differed terribly on the debate of the nature of Jesus Christs presence in the Lords Supper.[12] Such incidents could possibly draw willing converts back. The religious reformists faced resistance in some states.[13] Although the reformation spread all over in Switzerland, some Cantons resisted and chose to remain in the Roman Catholic Church. Zwingli had formed an organization that comprised of the reformed cantons which led to a division of the cantons in religious lines. The public did not receive them warmly, and at times they maltreated them. This would at times be severe to include physical torture. The process of luring supporters to join their faith was not an easy task. The reformists were resisted even more when the public realized that they themselves had internal differences. The believers from the Roman Catholic would not be easily convinced to forgo their united faith to join a divisive religion. Conclusion The religious reformations that have taken place in the past have proved to be divisive in nature and have threatened the peace of both the believers and the non-believers. It is notable that the sources of the divisions are majorly due to different views on the interpretation of the scriptures. In the contemporary world, the divisions over sacraments are unrealistic. With the advancing Islam, the radical secularism and the fervent anti-theism, the least the Christians can do is to argue over tertiary themes such as the Lord's Supper and baptism. They should rather unite to form a single reformation front. Precisely, the different faiths are just alternative paths leading to a common destination. Perhaps, the Church should be a bit lenient to allow varied interpretations of the scripture. If the churches engage it this way, the breach will end creating a better understanding. References Burns, Arthur. "Standing in the old ways: historical legitimation of Church reform in the Church of England, c. 182565." Studies in Church History 33 (2010-422): 407. McNally, Robert E. "The Council of Trent, The Spiritual Exercises, and The Catholic Reform." Church History 34, no. 1 (2009): 36-38. Michael, Sean. Why Didn't the Reformers Unite? October 13, 2016. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/why-didnt-the-reformers-unite (accessed September 23, 2017). Moorhead, James H. "Social Reform and the Divided Conscience of Antebellum Protestantism." Church History 48, no. 4 (2012): 417-420. Naismith, Rory. "Kings, crisis and coinage reforms in the mid-eighth century." Early Medieval Europe 20, no. 3 (2012): 291-332. Porter, Roger. What did Huldrych Zwingli achieve for the? Adelaide: Flinders University, 2012. Rennie, Kriston R. "Weapons of Reform: Gregory VII, Armenia, and the Liturgy." Church History 81, no. 2 (2012): 328-347. Rowell, S. C. "Church Court Records as Evidence for the Christianisation of Lithuanian Society in the Late-15th and Early-16th Century." Acta Historica Universitatis Klaipedensis 29, no. 1 (2015). Rowell, S. C. "Church Court Records as Evidence for the Christianisation of Lithuanian Society in the Late-15th and Early-16th Century." Acta Historica Universitatis Klaipedensis 29, no. 1 (2015): 22-34. Tavard, George H. "The Catholic Reform In The Sixteenth Century." Church History 26, no. 3 (2010): 275. Tremp, Kathrin Utz. "Preachers by Night. The Waldensian Barbes (15th16th century)." Church History and Religious Culture 90, no. 1 (2010): 102-104.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Stellar Remnants Essay Example

Stellar Remnants Essay There is as yet no comprehensive theory to describe the final stages of evolution of a star: the formation of a white dwarf, the collapse to a neutron star or black hole, or the total disruption of a star by thermonuclear detonation. There is no clear and consistent transition from the equilibrium stages of evolution, as described by a stellar evolutionary track on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, to the final thermonuclear detonation or collapse of the core†¦- T. A. Lozinskaya, American Institute of Physics (1992 : 115)White dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes are born when normal stars dies, that is, when most of their nuclear fuel has been consumed. A solar mass star spends about 1010 years on the main sequence, during which time hydrogen fusion (into helium) provides its energy source. Eventually, the amount of H in the core becomes depleted, much of the initial H having been converted into He. As the scale of proton-proton fusion (i.e., hydrogen burning) diminishes, the equilibrium between the forces of gravity and the radiation pressure within a star is upset and the core contracts under gravity. As gravity takes over, the core temperature rises (Rose 1998).The evolution of stars accelerates when they near the end of their lives as normal stars, with their structure undergoing radical changes. As the core becomes smaller and heats up, the outside of the star cools and expands. During these final stages, a significant fraction of the mass of these stars, enriched with heavy elements generated in their interiors, is dispersed into surrounding space. The ejected gas, mixed with local interstellar medium can then be recycled to form new stars and planetary systems. Left behind is a compact stellar remnant — a white dwarf, with a radius 100 times smaller than that of the Sun; or a neutron star, with a radius 1,000 times smaller; or a black hole, with an effective radius that is several times smaller yet though its mass is comparable to that of a neutron star. Stellar remnant is thus a collective term used to describe the exotic objects that are left when a high mass star or a low mass star dies: white dwarfs, neutron stars, black holes (Fields et al., 1998).Stellar objects can in fact be more exotic than we know them to be. For instance, most of the mass of any galaxy is dominated by a component concentrated at the center of the galaxy. This nucleus dominates the galaxy’s dynamics throughout, and is known as the dark matter halo. The mysterious dark matter halo is the single largest part of the Galaxy, covering the space between 100,000 light-years to 300,000 light-years from the galactic center. Scientists often speculate on the possibility of this dark matter being made up of stellar remnants, such as primordial white dwarfs (Silk 1993). On the other hand, Massive Compact Halo Objects, or MACHOs, are surmised to exist in huge numbers in vast halos surrounding galaxies, presumably accounting for much of the missing matter of the galaxies. Stellar remnants are again sometimes considered to be possible candidates for MACHOS (Graff et al, 1999). In short, there are grounds to believe that the mysterious missing matter of universe is at least in part made up of dying stars, although there are growing indications pointing in other directions.Stellar death need not be regarded as the endpoint of a star, most commonly it denotes a very dynamic and intriguing final phase of a star’s life cycle, representing a metamorphosis in which stars that had been powered by nuclear reactions are reborn as â€Å"compact objects.† The evolution and eventual fate of stars in the late stages of their lives are critically dependent on the amount of matter they have at birth. Most stars with a mass more than about eight times that of the Sun end their lives in the titanic explosion of a supernova. The stellar remnants are neutron stars or black holes. Stars less massive than about eight times the mass of the Sun evolve into red giants, so large that at the position of the Sun they would envelop the orbit of Earth. Their distended envelopes, or the planetary nebulae, are ejected soon afterward. The stellar remnants in this case are white dwarfs. On occasions, white dwarfs themselves can lead to supernova explosions and result in neutron stars.Becoming these small dense spheres of degenerate matter that slowly cool and radiate heat, most stars end their lives. However, these fantastic star remnants have a â€Å"pulsating† life of their own. Besides their exceedingly small size, the most fundamental way in which the three species of dead stars or stellar remnants differ from normal stars is that they do not burn nuclear fuel, and cannot support themselves against gravitational collapse by generating thermal pressure. In an ordinary gas, the pressure depends on the density and on the temperature. At very high densities, a mutual repulsion develops between electrons. This repulsi on is not due to the classical behavior of their electrical charge: rather, it is due to their quantum mechanical properties. This repulsion produces an additional pressure, the so-called degenerate pressure, which depends on the density alone, not the temperature. Thus, the material can be heated without expanding, and can be cooled without shrinking. The degenerate pressure halts the gravitational collapse, like the ideal gas pressure, with one significant difference: when material is added, the gravity of the star increases, but the increase in the degenerate pressure is not as high as in ordinary matter. Therefore, the star shrinks. The higher the mass of a degenerate star, the smaller its volume.White dwarfs are supported by the pressure of degenerate electrons, while neutron stars are supported largely by the pressure of degenerate neutrons. Electrons degenerate when the density equals to 109 kg/m3. Neutrons are degenerate when the density equals to 1018 kg / m3. Black holes, on the other hand, are completely collapsed stars — that is, stars that could not find any means to hold back the inward pull of gravity and therefore collapsed to singularities (Tayler 2004).White DwarfsMedium-sized stars, such as the sun, eventually consume all of the nuclear fuel available. A star of mass in the range of 1 to 8 solar masses collapses at the core when all the protons in the core have been fused into helium nuclei. The core temperature rises enabling the helium nuclei to fuse into heavier nuclei. The core keeps shrinking and becoming hotter, while the surface expands. Hydrogen nuclei (i.e., protons) surrounding the core start to fuse and the outer layers of the star expand and cool. The star swells out to become a red giant. In the very last stage of its life as a star, the core collapses into a white dwarf, while the remaining hydrogen drifts away into a shell of gas as a â€Å"planetary nebula.† The core contracts until electron degeneracy pressure provides the support against gravity, after which the star does not shrink as it cools.White dwarfs evolve from the central stars of these so-called planetary nebulae, and their final mass depends on the original mass their main-sequence stars. For a star of one solar mass, the resulting white dwarf is of about 0.6 solar masses, compressed into approximately the volume of the Earth. If the progenitor star was 2-8 MSun, the white dwarf would be 0.7-1.4 MSun. For stars less than twice the suns mass, the corresponding white dwarf mass is 0.6-0.7 sun mass. For stars less than the mass of sun, the final white dwarf mass would be less than 0.6 sun mass.White dwarfs are hot (~10,000 K), low luminosity stars composed mainly of carbon, helium, neon, magnesium and other elements. The stars’ light comes from the trapped residual heat. The temperatures in the star, however, are not hot enough to have carbon and oxygen burn, as a result no further nuclear reactions occur. The exact chemic al composition of the white dwarfs varies from one to another, depending upon the original mass of the progenitor star. A white dwarf is composed chiefly of carbon and oxygen if the progenitor star is approximately of sun’s mass and is therefore unable to ignite carbon fusion. A white dwarf is composed chiefly of oxygen, neon, and magnesium, when the progenitor star is of a few solar masses, and capable of setting off carbon fusion to form magnesium, neon, and smaller amounts of other elements. White dwarfs are very dim. The luminosities of the central stars of planetary nebulae drop rapidly as they evolve into white-dwarf end-state (Rose 1998). The luminosity of these white dwarfs appears to be particularly low also because their surface is small. Although they are relatively easy to discover, follow-up observations to discover their astrophysical properties require gigantic telescopes (Luyten 1971).The electrons in white dwarfs are degenerate, and therefore the more mass th ere is in the white dwarf, the smaller the radius. For example, for O.5 MSun, the radius is 1.5 REarth, and for 1.0 MSun, the radius becomes 0.9 REarth. The largest possible white dwarf mass is 1.4 MSun. This is called the Chandrasekhar limit, and is the most mass that the electron degenerate core can support without collapsing under its own gravity. A white dwarf star is unstable if it exceeds 1.4 MSun. This upper limit on its mass represents the maximum possible density of matter above which electrons and protons fuse to form neutrons. A white dwarf star of mass below 1.4 MSun might accrete matter due to its intense gravity from the surrounding space or it might draw matter in from it companion if it is a binary star. If this process of accretion causes its mass to reach 1.4 MSun, an outburst of energy and matter is caused as the star overheats due to the interaction between its electrons and protons. As white dwarfs mass exceeds the Chandrasekhar limit, the electron degeneracy pr essure fails due to electron capture and the star collapses and explodes into a Type I supernova. In the collapse, electrons and protons combine in the core to form neutrons. Nuclei in the outer layers absorb neutrons to form heavier nuclei before the outer layers are thrown off by the collapsing core. This process would result in the formation of a neutron star (Tayler 2004).Except in the aforementioned scenario, white dwarfs are stable. Once a white dwarf forms, it begins to cool off, but the degenerate pressure inside does not drop and the star does not shrink on cooling. The stability of the white dwarf is the outcome of the inward pull of gravity being balanced by the degeneracy pressure of the stars electrons. With no fuel left to burn, the star radiates its remaining heat into space for billions of years. As the star cools, its luminosity decreases, and this process slows over time, so that the dimmer the star gets, the slower it gets dimmer. The correspondence between the lu minosity and the age for a 0.6 MSun white dwarf would   go as follows: 0.1 LSun at 20 million years, 0.01 LSun at 300 million years, 0.001 LSun at 1 billion years and 0.0001 LSun at 6 billion years. At 6 billion years, although the temperature (and therefore the color) of the white dwarf is about the same as the Suns surface, the luminosity would be much less, because this star, or rather stellar remnant, is so tiny in size. The faintest observed white dwarfs are therefore very old (Mestel, Koester   Salpeter 1992). Eventually white dwarfs would fade off, perhaps becoming part of dark matter.Neutron Stars, Pulsars, and Black HolesA neutron star is the core of a supernova remnant and is a million times denser than the Earth. Neutron stars rotate rapidly, some of them emitting radio waves in oppositely directed beams that sweep round as the star rotates. Main-sequence stars with mass in the range of 8-25 MSun become supernovae (Type II), lose a lot of their envelope, and leave a degenerate neutron core behind. A supernova is an extremely violent event, producing a colossal outburst of light which decays with a half-life of about 80 days. The star is literally blown apart, leaving a core that may consist of a neutron star or a black hole, or, in some cases it may get blown apart completely leaving nothing behind. Neutron stars and black holes are thus the compact stellar remnants that form from the most massive stars (Wijers et al., 1998). Neutron stars are the extremely dense cores of dead stars composed only of neutrons. It is estimated that there are 105 active and 108 defunct neutron stars in the Galaxy (Lorimer et al., 1993) Like white dwarfs, neutron stars also get smaller when they are more massive. For example, a 0.7 MSun neutron star has a radius of 10 km. The maximum mass of a neutron star is assumed to be between 1.5 and 2.7 MSun.Neutron stars collapse from larger stars, and during that collapse, angular momentum must be conserved. Therefore, the stars are rotating very rapidly. Occasionally, a pulsar suddenly increases its rate of rotation, causing its period to jump in a so-called glitch. This occurs when a pulsar suddenly contract, just as when a spinning ice skater pulls his or her arms in. Pulsars also have large magnetic fields — a trillion times stronger than Earths — due to the collapse and compression of the original magnetic field of the star. The axis of a neutron star’s strong magnetic field is not necessarily the same as the axis of its rotation. Neutron stars become pulsars when the magnetic field axis is not aligned with the rotation axis. A pulsar is a rapidly rotating neutron star, created as the stellar remnant during a Type II supernova explosion of a massive star (Gotthelf, Vasisht 1998). Along the magnetic field lines that come out of the poles of these pulsars are many spiraling charged particles, which emit radiation. Each time the beam sweeps past the Earth, a radio pulse is detec ted. The period of a pulsar, or the gap between two pulses, is most commonly less than a second, though it typically ranges from 0.25 to 2 seconds (Sturrock 1971). Each pulse lasts on the order of a few microseconds. A typical pulsar is of the order of less than 100 km in diameter and with a mass of about two suns. All pulsars would gradually slow down. This is evident from the gradual increase of the period of a pulsar.A supernova event can either lead to a neutron star or a black hole. If the mass of the stellar remnant is very high, no physical process can provide support against the gravitational collapse (Padmanabhan 2000). The neutron degeneracy pressure will be insufficient to prevent collapse below the Schwarzschild radius. Schwarzchild radius is the critical radius at which singularity occurs and for mass M, this radius Rs is given byRs = 2GM/ c2If an object is completely contained within its Schwarzchild radius, a singularity will occur (Kenyon 1990).   In the case of a massive star, it will form a black hole and is likely to exert a very strong gravitational influence on its surroundings. The mass at which the stellar remnant becomes a black hole is not known with certainty, but is estimated at between 2 and 3 solar masses. Once a black hole has formed, and after all the stellar matter has disappeared into the singularity, the geometry of space-time itself continues to collapse towards the singularity (Luminet 1998). A black hole is, by definition, a region in spacetime in which the gravitational field is so strong that it precludes even light from escaping to infinity. Black holes arise because gravity affects the way light waves travel through space. Einsteins general relativity both predicted black holes and is employed to the full in the description of black holes.Black holes are objects who properties are absolutely fantastic. The properties of space and time are changed inside the black hole in a most puzzling manner.The black holes of natur e are the most perfect macroscopic objects there are in the universe: the only elements in their construction are our concepts of space and time. And since the general theory of relativity provides only a single unique family of solutions for their descriptions, they are the simples objects as well. (Chandrasekhar 1992 : 1)Space and time get coiled into what resembles a funnel, with a boundary deep inside it (event horizon) beyond which both time and space break down into quanta. Black holes are also the most grandiose energy sources of the universe. It is most likely that what we observe in remote quasars and in the exploding nuclei of galaxies are manifestations of black holes. There is considerable evidence for the presence of massive black holes in the center of active galaxies (Collmar Schonfelder 1998). Massive black holes in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) accrete matter from their environments, converting gravitational energy to electromagnetic energy. However, the case for m assive black holes being present at the center of most galaxies is not yet watertight (Maoz 1998).In the same way as black holes which can be paradoxically regarded as the most complex and yet most simple objects existing in space and time, the stellar remnants that are usually regarded as the dying embers of the fires that were once living stars happen to be some of the most active, dynamic and extreme objects in the known universe. Even if they do not account for the dark matter of the universe, these compact astronomical objects continue to be some of the most mysterious entities imaginable. The study of them has yet to reveal us greater secrets in the years to come.