Written Close Analysis of Voice Tape

I. View

Voice Tape is a short story made by Ariel Tabag who is a bilingual Ilocano
fictionist, poet, editor, translator, and musician. A short story is a piece of
prose fiction that can be read in one sitting. At its most prototypical the
short story features a small cast of named characters, and focuses on a self-
contained incident with the intent of evoking a “single effect” or mood. In
doing so, short stories make use of plot, resonance, and other dynamic
components to a far greater degree than is typical of an anecdote, yet to a
far lesser degree than a novel.

The setting of the story is in Santa Teresita, Cagayan. Abu Dhabi, which is
the capital of United Arab Emirates, is also a setting of the story.

II. Condense

The story started when Dante had a vacation in Santa Teresita, Cagayan and
he had to get certificates and awards for him to be promoted in his job in
Cubao. While he was looking for the things he needed, he found something
different. He found a voice tape that says “4 my one & onli lab ATO.” Dante’s
mother found the voice tape the day his sibling named Ato died because he
was hit by a bus. Dante recalled what happened on those days. He thought
that his friend was the victim of the accident but he later found out that the
victim was his uncle. Ato’s family couldn’t hardly cry and get lonely. Dante
was the oldest among his cousins so he was assigned to watch over his
uncle. He couldn’t look at his uncle’s head for a long time because he
remembered how Lilong Martin put his uncle’s brains using bare hands on a
gas container. Dante remembered his moments with his uncle especially
when he was asked to write a letter for his uncle’s wife who was in abroad.
Ato was sweet, thoughtful, and loving to his wife. Dante continued narrating
things about his uncle’s life. After the funeral, Dante’s colleague told him
that his uncle committed suicide. Dante later on said what was inside the
voice tape. It says, “Forgive me, Love. I did not want this. I will be killed if I
will fight. Just think that we will finally reach our dream to give our children
a bright future. My contract will end soon.”

III. Culture Reflected

One culture that can be reflected from the story is the practice of wakes
which are done by Filipinos. The corpse is put inside a coffin where it will be
displayed usually for three to seven days. Filipinos mourn for their loved
ones and honor those who die for they believe that afterlife exists. Most
Filipinos believe in superstitions especially during funerals. As stated by
Dante, old women prohibited sweeping during funeral for anyone who
disobeys would have a lot of lice. Another superstition is that they should cut
the chicken’s head to avoid deaths from their family. They also practice
moving the coffin with the feet of the person at the front. These are just
some of many more superstitions about wakes.

Another culture that can be reflected is the process of job promotion. Every
employee or worker wants to be promoted for their benefit. There are many
ways on how someone can be promoted, but here in the Philippines, you can
just show your awards, achievements, and experiences to be promoted.

Another culture that can be reflected is the way of living in Santa Teresita,
Cagayan. As stated in the story, there were only few jeeps and tricycles are
mostly used, but now, those vehicles can be seen almost everywhere. The
houses during those years were different from those of today. They had
“buho” in their houses which were columns that may contain important
things; most houses today do not have those things anymore. In addition, a
number of Filipinos still live in farm areas until now; but people in urban
areas mostly live in condominiums.

Another culture that can be reflected from the story is the presence of
Filipinos in other countries to work. They are called Overseas Filipino
Workers (OFW’s). It is very easy for Filipinos to go abroad to work, but
separation from their loved ones is so hard. There is a lot problems that
OFW’s face. In the short story, Ato’s wife may be physically or sexually
abused/harassed because she said on the voice tape that she didn’t want
what was happening and she would be killed if she would fight. She also said
that her contract would soon be finished. Until now, there are still OFW’s
who are not treated well by their employers.

Lastly, a culture that can be reflected is the process of making a letter.

Letter making are not just done by Filipinos; it is a common practice around
the world. Letters are made to communicate, especially when two close
people are apart. In the story, Ato sent letters to his wife to show his love.
Ato’s wife also sent back something that could be used to communicate
which is a voice tape. Voice tape is rarely used these days, while letter
making may soon be used rarely too. The most probable reason why they
are not used so much today is because of advancements in technology.
Social media is now the common way to communicate with other people.

IV. Literary Technique

One technique that the author used is the inclusion of quotations. This is
probably the most used technique by the authors because quotations make
the readers feel that they are in the actual scene. A story that has no
dialogues is not so interesting to read.

One technique that the author used is the combination of different moods.
Some parts of the story are tragic; some parts are fluttering; some parts are
intense. A story that has combined moods is more interesting to read
because the readers will feel different emotions and they will be able to
relate to the different events.

One technique that the author used is using flashback. A flashback is a

transition in a story to an earlier time that interrupts the normal
chronological order of events. Flashback was used in the story when Dante
recalled some events that happened to his Uncle starting from his early life
until the day he listened to the voice tape. He was first narrating his stay in
Cagayan when suddenly he went back and recalled his memories.

Another technique that the author used is foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is

a literary device in which a writer gives an advance hint of what is to come
later in the story. Foreshadowing often appears at the beginning of a story
or a chapter and helps the reader develop expectations about the coming
events in a story. The author said something about the voice tape that would
make his readers figure out what was inside the voice tape. This technique
gets readers attached and interested to the story, thus making them finish
the story.