The Great Gatsby

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZINQmqszyU

The link above is from 'One Tree Hill' an American drama that features a narrator reading to us at the beginning and end of the programme. By having the narrator it allows the viewer to feel more connected to the characters and enables us to follow them more closely on a journey.  This is similar to 'The Great Gatsby' where Nick is the narrator of the novel, we follow him on his journey closely engaging with every character.

"A MAN of words and not of deeds Is like a garden full of weeds; And when the weeds begin to grow, It's like a garden full of snow; And when the snow begins to fall, It's like a bird upon the wall; And when the bird away does fly, It's like an eagle in the sky; And when the sky begins to roar, It's like a lion at the door; And when the door begins to crack, It's like a stick across your back ; And when your back begins to smart, It's like a penknife in your heart; And when your heart begins to bleed, You're dead, and dead, and dead, indeed."

The poem above is read by character 'Jamie' in 'One Tree Hill' that coincides well with the plot of the show, 'it's like an eagle in the sky' the use of American Freedom and the American Dream is communicated to the viewer, this is present in the novel with Nick as he is a middle class man that has worked to achieve his fortune, and is the only character that ends on a happy note. Similar to the end of the poem - 'and when your heart begins to bleed, you're dead, and dead, indeed' - the novel also ends in disaster, representing the decline of the American Dream for the novel on a whole.

Both medias are typically American and coincide well with one another.