Responsibilities
Look, Listen & Say
A. Read the text.
Rony's mother gave him 50 taka to buy salt and chillies. On his way to the market, Rony found a poor passer-by trying to hold a boy up, who was lying on the road, groaning. Coming near, Rony saw that it was his classmate Tanim, who was hit by a speeding motorbike. Immediately he stopped a baby taxi and took Tanim to a clinic. From there he phoned Tanim's parents. When they came to the clinic, Rony returned home without the salt and chillies. He had used the money to pay the taxi driver.
Now discuss in groups the following questions.
B. Read the text and answer the following question:
What is responsibility?
A responsibility is a duty or an obligation TO DO something. For example, you have the responsibility to attend school and pursue your studies properly, to take care of your parents in their old age, and so on. You also have responsibility to your society and the government, e.g. to help a neighbour in trouble or to cast your vote if you are 18 or over.
A responsibility is also an obligation or a duty NOT TO DO something. For example, you have the responsibility not to steal a book from a public library or not to pile up your building materials on the footpath. These are your responsibilities as citizens. But there are responsibilities of the government as well. Our government has the responsibility to provide for its citizens "the basic necessities of life, including food, clothing, shelter, education and medical care"]. The government also has the responsibility to protect the fundamental rights of its citizens which include freedom of speech and expression, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, equality of all before law2 etc.
The knowledge, skills and attitudes you have gained at home, at school and in society will help you to be aware of your responsibilities and to carry them out effectively. Remember, discharging your responsibilities will be good for you, good for your family and friends, and good for your society and country as a whole.
What are the two types of responsibility?
Notes
1. The Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, Part II.
2. Part III, ibid (Ibid : abbreviation from Latin ibidem which means in the same book or piece of writing as the one that has just been mentioned.)