Question

the waves beside them danced; but they
out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
a poet could not but be gay,
in such a jocund company:
i gazed--and gazed--but little thought
what wealth the show to me had brought
--\i wandered lonely as a cloud,\
william wordsworth
what is the effect of wordsworths use of the word company in this passage?
the word shows that the speaker does not feel lonely when he is surrounded by daffodils.
the word suggests that the flowers are united against the speaker.
the word emphasizes that the speaker is willing to work hard.
the word signals the speakers inability to understand the meaning of the daffodils.

Explanation:

In the poem, the speaker is initially "lonely" (as in the title). The word "company" (with the positive adjective "jocund") implies a group that provides companionship. Daffodils are described in a lively way ("danced", "glee"). So, when the speaker is with this "jocund company" (the daffodils), the loneliness is alleviated.

• The second option is wrong because there's no indication of the flowers being "against" the speaker. The description is positive ("jocund").
• The third option is wrong as there's no mention of "work" in the context related to the word "company".
• The fourth option is wrong because the speaker later realizes the "wealth" (emotional or aesthetic value) the daffodils brought, so there's no inability to understand.

Answer:

The word shows that the speaker does not feel lonely when he is surrounded by daffodils.