,ENG3704 Assignment 2 (COMPLETE
ANSWERS) 2025 - DUE August 2025
The study material notes that Karoo Moose makes use of
various metatheatrical devices. In which ways do these devices
influence the play’s depiction of Gender-Based Violence? Write
an essay of approximately 1 200 words in which you discuss this
question with reference to Kruger’s (2022) and Mohoto’s (2015)
articles. Please cite these sources as well as any other
secondary sources that you may have used according to the
Harvard method of referencing.
The study material considers the symbolic significance of the
moose in Karoo Moose. What is your interpretation of the
symbolic meaning of the moose? Write an essay of
approximately 1 200 words in which you discuss this question. If
you use any secondary sources, please cite them according to
the Harvard method of referencing.
Essay 1: Metatheatrical Devices and Gender-Based Violence in
Karoo Moose
Introduction
Lara Foot’s Karoo Moose is a deeply moving and disturbing
theatrical work that explores the horrors of Gender-Based
Violence (GBV) through the lens of a young girl’s trauma.
However, what distinguishes this play from typical realist
theatre is its sophisticated use of metatheatrical devices.
, Metatheatre — the self-reflective use of theatricality to
remind the audience that they are watching a performance —
becomes a powerful tool in challenging perceptions,
foregrounding social critique, and giving voice to the voiceless.
According to Kruger (2022) and Mohoto (2015), Foot uses
these devices not merely as stylistic choices but as essential
instruments to foreground the violence inflicted upon women
and children in South Africa. This essay explores how
metatheatre influences the play’s depiction of Gender-Based
Violence by destabilising realism, enabling collective
storytelling, and empowering the audience to reflect on their
complicity and responsibility.
Metatheatre as Disruption of Realism
One of the primary ways that Karoo Moose uses metatheatre
to portray GBV is by disrupting the conventions of realist
theatre. The play refuses to follow a straightforward narrative
structure and blends elements of myth, fable, and Brechtian
alienation. This is crucial in presenting GBV not as a singular,
isolated event, but as part of a systemic social crisis. According
to Kruger (2022: 53), Foot's non-linear and symbolic mode of
storytelling "resists easy consumption" and demands that the
audience consider the deeper, often cyclical nature of
violence.
Instead of allowing the audience to emotionally distance
themselves by viewing GBV as a faraway reality, the
ANSWERS) 2025 - DUE August 2025
The study material notes that Karoo Moose makes use of
various metatheatrical devices. In which ways do these devices
influence the play’s depiction of Gender-Based Violence? Write
an essay of approximately 1 200 words in which you discuss this
question with reference to Kruger’s (2022) and Mohoto’s (2015)
articles. Please cite these sources as well as any other
secondary sources that you may have used according to the
Harvard method of referencing.
The study material considers the symbolic significance of the
moose in Karoo Moose. What is your interpretation of the
symbolic meaning of the moose? Write an essay of
approximately 1 200 words in which you discuss this question. If
you use any secondary sources, please cite them according to
the Harvard method of referencing.
Essay 1: Metatheatrical Devices and Gender-Based Violence in
Karoo Moose
Introduction
Lara Foot’s Karoo Moose is a deeply moving and disturbing
theatrical work that explores the horrors of Gender-Based
Violence (GBV) through the lens of a young girl’s trauma.
However, what distinguishes this play from typical realist
theatre is its sophisticated use of metatheatrical devices.
, Metatheatre — the self-reflective use of theatricality to
remind the audience that they are watching a performance —
becomes a powerful tool in challenging perceptions,
foregrounding social critique, and giving voice to the voiceless.
According to Kruger (2022) and Mohoto (2015), Foot uses
these devices not merely as stylistic choices but as essential
instruments to foreground the violence inflicted upon women
and children in South Africa. This essay explores how
metatheatre influences the play’s depiction of Gender-Based
Violence by destabilising realism, enabling collective
storytelling, and empowering the audience to reflect on their
complicity and responsibility.
Metatheatre as Disruption of Realism
One of the primary ways that Karoo Moose uses metatheatre
to portray GBV is by disrupting the conventions of realist
theatre. The play refuses to follow a straightforward narrative
structure and blends elements of myth, fable, and Brechtian
alienation. This is crucial in presenting GBV not as a singular,
isolated event, but as part of a systemic social crisis. According
to Kruger (2022: 53), Foot's non-linear and symbolic mode of
storytelling "resists easy consumption" and demands that the
audience consider the deeper, often cyclical nature of
violence.
Instead of allowing the audience to emotionally distance
themselves by viewing GBV as a faraway reality, the
