Volu m e I - Purdue University Calumet

and „The City‟ and „The Real World‟, it‟s just for entertainment. Our show is really educational and good
for audiences who want to get a different mindset on teen pregnancy” (Kaufman 2).
Summary and Conclusion
In this essay I argued that MTV‟s reality show, Teen Mom portrays the action of teen pregnancy as a sin or
guilt, and mortification and victimage are the necessary means of purification and redemption in order to gain an
audience and boost ratings and popularity. Teen Mom is a reality show that airs on MTV. The show takes us through
the lives and choices of four moms; Maci, Farrah, Catelynn, and Amber. The show takes us through each of their
stories and the choice that they made involving their pregnancy. The producers of the show intended to show how
important it is to prevent pregnancy. The way that they do this is show the struggles that the moms go through.
Kenneth Burke‟s Rhetoric of Rebirth can be used to analyze this reality show. The Rhetoric of Rebirth takes a look at
guilt that gets committed and then provides three means for purification; mortification, transcendence, or victimage.
“Mortification punishes the guilt where it arises, in the person or group, and transcendence denies guilt entirely by
placing potentially guilty actions within another context. But scapegoating uses a more difficult rhetorical movement:
discourse must call attention to guilt, to evidence of crumbling hierarchy, but then guilt must be moved away from
those who hold it and attached to those who can represent it, the scapegoats themselves” (Brummett 260). Three of
the moms chose mortification when it came to deal with their guilt, and one chose victimage or scapegoating. The
show uses the mom‟s stories to remind teens just how hard it is and how their lives would be changed if they had a
child to take care of. Has our society turned into one where we rely on television shows to show real life and teach a
lesson?
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