Volu m e I - Purdue University Calumet

Basically, in mortification the guilt is accepted by the one who did it, in scapegoating the guilt is placed on
someone else, and in transcendence the guilt is just pushed away. Looking at these three though, it is hard
to say which one will work best, “It is impossible to say in advance of a specific communication situation
whether mortification, transcendence, or scapegoating will in general be the best strategy” (Brummett
262).
The final step of the rebirth is redemption, “The third stage of the process, redemption is
temporary rest or stasis of some kind that represents symbolic rebirth. At this stage, a change has taken
place within the rhetor; the rhetor’s self has been purified and redeemed” (Foss, Foss, and Trapp 197).
During this stage the guilty one usually will feel much better about themselves and want to move on away
from their guilt, “Thus, the process of pollution-purification-redemption is the drama of the self in quest,
the process of building and finding the true self. It represents our attempts to discover and maintain our
identities so that we can act purposefully, feel at home in the world, and move toward the perfection we
seek” (Foss, Foss, and Trapp 197).
Now that there is a better understanding of Kenneth Burke’s theory let’s take a look at how it can
be connected to MTV’s Teen Mom.
Analysis of Teen Mom
In this essay, I argue that MTV’s reality show, Teen Mom portrays teen pregnancy as a sin
and mortification and victimage are the necessary means of purification in order to gain an audience and
raise it ratings. In order to compare Teen Mom to Kenneth Burke’s Rhetoric of Rebirth we need to identify
exactly what the guilt is in this situation. An article titled “The Tough Life of a Teen Mom” states that, “The
number of teens giving birth is dropping, but teen pregnancy in the U.S. Nearly 4 out of 10 young women
become pregnant before they turn 20. This adds up to 1 million pregnancies a year” (Rinaldo 1). The
National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy states that, “Research closely links teen
parenthood to many negative consequences for mothers, fathers, and their children” (The National
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