Harlam rennaissance and writers

Some of these people were writers, some were poets, and others were artists, but eventually, they were all activists for the African American cause. Some famous writers of that time were Marcus Garvey, W.E.B. Du BOIS, Alain Locke, Countee Cullen, Langston Hughes, Helene Johnson, Gwendolyn Bennet, and Claude McKay. .
             Langston Hughes was one, if not the most, famous poet/writer from the Harlem Renaissance. Langston Hughes wrote novels, poems, plays, short stories and many newspaper articles. The unique aspects of his writing were the subjects he used. He did not follow the norm because he chose not to write about famous and well-educated African Americans. Instead, he wrote about the average poor and uneducated people (Haskins, 1). Even so, he always wrote about them with the utmost respect and charisma. His subjects were often heroes and the very core of his writing. Langston Hughes used his writing to reflect urban life (Haskins, 23). He wanted to accurately display the energy of Harlem, being that it was the largest black community in the U.S.A. at the time (Haskins, 23). He wanted to show how full of life and pride the people were. The community was one of "music and laughter" (Haskins, 24). His writing was often a clear example of African nationalism. Though there was much sadness and alienation, Langston Hughes was always able to show that African Americans were not only the force behind a huge creative movement but they were also a people of strong individuality and togetherness.
             One poem written by Langston Hughes was called "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" (Lewis, 257). He wrote this poem one night as he was looking out of the window of the train car watching the Mississippi river go by (Haskins, 19). He began to dream about all the many African Americans who were forced to work alongside this river. He grew very emotional thinking about how hard these people worked knowing that despite it all, they would earn nothing and remain poor.