Both authors took a big step forward by publishing works critical of their oppressors, a leap that put each of them in danger. Each poet knew how to inspire and educate in his own way, using his personal touch; Hughes, striving to inform his people and unite them against a common enemy through passionate prose, and McKay, striving to inflame the passions of his audience in order to compel them to take a firm stand. The importance of these two perspectives working in unison cannot be understated. A broader set of perspectives and beliefs on the same issue is effective in inspiring a larger, broader, and more diverse group of readers. The sad image created by Hughes most likely managed to reach even white Americans who already enjoyed their full freedom, opening the eyes of whites and other non-oppressed races to the plight of early African Americans. In contrast, McKay's poem was probably more effective in rallying African Americans specifically. The benefit of these (albeit slightly) different messages was immense, and highlighted the importance of different viewpoints, and also inspired different groups of people, to bring about faster and more universally accepted change. Faced with a tyrannical force like a racist majority, these two points of view