An epic poem is a long, serious, of someone explaining a significant event. It usually has a hero. They were used mostly in Anglo-Saxon literature because back then they never wrote anything down. Most stories were told orally. A great example would be <em>Beowulf.</em>
It’s the illusion of Gatsby that is great; what his life is like to a stranger looking from afar. He seems to have it all, giant house, handsome, big parties, etc. and he wants people to believe he is as great as his things. But given the end, we know he isn’t really great and he might have “it all” but without Daisy he has nothing (nothing that matters at least) and he realizes he’s isn’t great.
The radio version was presented as a real situation. It was not clarified to the audience that was just a "play" ,and the people panicked. What people heard on the radio was taken seriously. THe events in the original novel are developed in England in the 19th century, this was changed to adapt it to the radio show to the United States, in New Jersey to make it more contemporary. Orson Wells wanted a greater broadcast off his novel, so he came up with this idea.