In these excerpts, how do both men use their personal histories to achieve their purpose? Both men draw on their past experiences to convince readers of their perseverance and success in becoming accomplished readers and writers. They use their personal histories to expose the horrors and misery of enslavement. Additionally, they share their experiences to demonstrate to readers their intelligence, which surpasses that of the average person. They also recount their personal stories to convey the challenges they face in adapting to European customs.

To understand how individuals use their personal histories to achieve a purpose, it’s important to analyze the specific ways in which they narrate these histories and the elements they choose to emphasize.

When someone uses their past experiences, particularly of perseverance and overcoming struggles, they tend to highlight moments that showcase their determination, intelligence, and adaptability. In the context given where men are discussing their journey to becoming literate amid the atrocity of enslavement they likely recount specific moments where they faced extreme adversity yet managed to learn to read and write a remarkable achievement under such conditions.

For example, they might discuss the scarce opportunities they had to learn and how they seized every moment even when it was forbidden or punished. They may talk about secret lessons they had or the risks they took to practice their literacy. Such narratives serve not only to exhibit their extraordinary perseverance but also to pull the readers into the cruelty of the situation they were in and their exceptional character.

Furthermore by sharing their experiences and demonstrating their high intelligence often in contrast to the low expectations or stereotypes held by their oppressors they directly challenge any preconceived notions of their capabilities based on their status as enslaved individuals. Narratives that reflect their adaptability to European customs despite the considerable cultural gulf bid to stoke admiration in the reader and to amplify the extent of their personal achievements.

Each of these aspects - their demonstrable intelligence their perseverance under duress and their adaptability to an alien culture serves to deepen the reader’s understanding of the profound immorality of enslavement and the remarkable nature of the writers' characters.