Short Story Research

For my Short Story final piece a theme i wrote about was the condition Multiple Sclerosis and the effect it has. Knowing little about it, I researched the condition in terms of treatments and symptoms to include in my story as well as gain background knowledge of the condition.

MS Society -
To research the condition in general as well as more particularly the symptoms of the condition i used the website for the MS society. I researched the symptoms of Tremors, sight problems, cognitive degeneration and fatigue. In my piece I focused on the tremors because they are uncomfortable to see, and also made reference to these other symptoms.

MS Trust -
To further my research and obtain a reference of an actual MS drug, i went to the MS trust website. I found out that 'Clonazepam' is used to treat tremors. I decided to use this one because the side effects suggest fatigue and depression, two other aspects of the disease i mention in my story.

NHS Support -
When developing my idea of the story, whilst doing research I found that for some MS sufferers they have permanent mobility constraints due to the condition. Through researching the support sufferers can get from the NHS i found that commodes were issued. This aspect because of this research became key to the plot of my story.

Boston Globe -
The main focus of my short story is obtaining the weed (marijuana) to relieve the symptoms of MS. upon doing research into this treatment i found that in Boston, America it is used by people with MS. Although there are mixed opinions on whether it works or not, Dr. Barbara Koppel suggests that cannabinoids found in cannabis can treat MS symptoms with less side effects than other drugs. Because of this I chose to include the weed (cannabis) in the story as compared to the prescribed Clonazepam it may be more beneficial because of the less side effects.


The form of the story:
The Piece I wrote took main inspiration from a grime/rap song called "Wild Boyz" by rapper Mic Righteous about two brothers, one who passed away. the prose format of my story reflects this.
 The genre of the piece could be classed as Modernism/Post Modernism writing, as Malcolm Bradbury suggests that this style of writing is a response to "the scenario of our chaos" (Bradbury 1991: p.27).
The main character is an example of this theory as he is an example of the "destruction of traditional notions of the wholeness of individual character" (Bradbury 1991: p.27).

Bradbury, M. & McFarlane, J. (1991). The Name and Nature of Modernism. In: Bradbury, M. & McFarlane J. Modernism - A Guide to European Literature 1890-1930. 2nd ed. London: Penguin Books Ltd. 19-56.