Which phrase from paragraph 1 provides context for the meaning of "assuaged"?
O"circling dimples"
O "smooth again"
O"fully appreciated"
O"welling up"

Assuaged is defined to make things better, satisfied which author feels by bathing in the pond.

Explanation:

"The ponds" has been written by Thoreau. In this, ponds has been described as the eye of the planet Earth. After looking into the ocean, the beholder notices the depth of his own nature.

The main theme and the message of the "The ponds" is that the author wants to remove himself from the main stream culture which is found in the towns near by. In the attempts of doing that, Thoreau condemns the fast life of the people during industrial revolution.

"decapitation of the government" is the idiom Jay Winik used in the second paragraph. The idiom's intended meaning is the severance of the top government officials from the remainder of civil society through assassination. I think the idiom was chosen to add a grave visual description of the sense of the moment.