Source A: The bell I almost bought

An original contemporary non-fiction-style practice text, written for this question.

The bell stood on a wooden pallet beside a box of spoons. It was large enough to summon people from fields I had not yet visited, and it made the spoons look like objects from a more manageable life. I had come to the village auction to watch. My friend had gone to find a catalogue, leaving me with the instruction not to buy anything which would not fit in her car.

For twenty minutes, watching seemed safe. The auctioneer spoke quickly, paused at moments which everyone else appeared to recognise and pointed towards people whose movements were almost invisible. A man bought a cupboard without taking either hand from his pockets. I began to suspect that ownership here could be transferred through a raised eyebrow. This made the catalogue’s detailed rules about payment seem rather late in the process.

Then I saw my friend at the back of the crowd. I lifted my arm and waved. The auctioneer looked directly at me, repeated a number and pointed at the bell. Several people turned. My friend stopped walking. I lowered my hand with the exaggerated care of someone putting down a fragile item which had suddenly become extremely expensive.

I said that I had only been waving. The auctioneer leaned forward and asked whether that meant I was not bidding. I said it did. He smiled and announced that the bell was still seeking a household with sufficient enthusiasm and insufficient neighbours. The crowd laughed, and the bidding continued elsewhere. I laughed too, a fraction later, while privately trying to calculate how a bell could be posted.

My friend returned with the catalogue and asked why I had chosen the largest object in the yard. I explained that I had chosen her. She said this was not an answer which would help load the car. We moved away from the active bidding, where my hands could express ordinary friendship without entering into a commercial arrangement.

The bell eventually went to a man who seemed entirely pleased with its size. He had brought a trailer, which gave his ambition a practical foundation mine had lacked. I watched him check the pallet and speak to the porter. The event became less mysterious when I noticed the preparation surrounding its apparently tiny signals.

Before we left, I bought a sandwich from a stall. The seller asked if I wanted one or two. I answered aloud, with my hands flat on the counter. My friend said I was taking unnecessary precautions. I said that the sandwich, at least, would not require planning permission from everyone within hearing distance.

Source B: From A Game of Polo with a Headless Goat — Emma Levine

Read Source B in the official Pearson anthology (printed pages 14–15).

Compare how the writers present their ideas and perspectives about the confusion which can arise when a visitor joins an unfamiliar event.

Support your answer with detailed examples from both texts, including brief quotations.