Burkean scapegoating, mortification, and transcendence in presidential campaign rhetoric

The essay explains Kenneth Burke's concepts of scapegoating and mortification as symbolic means of redeeming guilt, and transcendence as a symbolic means of avoiding guilt. Presidential campaign rhetoric from 1980 illustrates these three rhetorical strategies well: Jimmy Carter used a strategy of mortification and redemption, Ronald Reagan employed transcendence, and John Anderson used scapegoating. Some implications for theory of political rhetoric are explored.