Teacher Guide

The Bonfire of the Vanities Lesson Plan

Study Objectives

If all of the elements of this lesson plan are employed, students will develop the following powers, skills, and understanding:

  1. 1

    Students will explore the excesses of 1980s New York City.

  2. 2

    Students will learn about Reaganism and the pervading economic attitudes that resulted.

  3. 3

    Students will explore how issues of race affect the criminal justice system.

  4. 4

    Students will consider, thematically, how ostensibly good people take advantage of crises to fulfill their own ends.

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