--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In this particular tub, two knees jut up…" description: "\"“In this particular tub, two knees jut up like icebergs, while minute brown hairs rise on arms and legs in a fringe of kelp; green soap navigates the t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef2/sylvia-plath-149_brown-hair_in-this-particular-tub-two-knees-jut-up_769789.jpg" --- # In this particular tub, two knees jut up like icebergs… ![“In this particular tub, two knees jut up like icebergs, while minute brown hairs rise on arms and legs in a fringe of kelp; green soap navigates the tidal slosh of seas breaking on legendary beaches; in faith we shall board our imagined ship and wildly sail among sacred islands of the mad till…” quote by Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef2/sylvia-plath-149_brown-hair_in-this-particular-tub-two-knees-jut-up_769789.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef2/sylvia-plath-149_brown-hair_in-this-particular-tub-two-knees-jut-up_769789.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef2/sylvia-plath-149_brown-hair_in-this-particular-tub-two-knees-jut-up_769789.jpg) > ““In this particular tub, two knees jut up like icebergs, while minute brown hairs rise on arms and legs in a fringe of kelp; green soap navigates the tidal slosh of seas breaking on legendary beaches; in faith we shall board our imagined ship and wildly sail among sacred islands of the mad till death shatters the fabulous stars and makes us real. --from "Tale of a Tub", written 1956”” [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The poet uses vivid, surreal imagery of a tub, kelp, and islands to explore imagination, faith, and the struggle to become real amid chaos. **In simple terms:** Surreal images illustrate a journey of imagination and faith toward authenticity. Key Takeaway Use imagination to navigate chaotic experiences toward self‑realization. Themes imagination faith identity Mood dreamy hopeful Type poetic inspirational When to use this quote - artistic creation - spiritual exploration - mental health coping - writing practice Key Concepts surrealism self‑discovery creativity Questions to Reflect On - What does the 'tub' symbolize for you? - How can imagination help you confront personal chaos? A Different Perspective Surrealism may obscure clear meaning; personal interpretation varies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brown hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brown-hair/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Like Icebergs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-icebergs-2788424/) [River](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/river/) [Sail Sacred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sail-sacred-1437731/) [Seas Breaking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seas-breaking-3029153/) [Tale Tub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tale-tub-1437729/) [Tub Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tub-written-5076220/) ## Related quotes > [In this particular tub, two knees jut up like icebergs, while minute brown hairs rise on arms and legs in a fringe of kelp;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/in-this-particular-tub-two-knees-jut-up-like-icebergs-while-minute-2/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [“we shall board our imagined ship and wildly sail among sacred islands of the mad till death shatters the fabulous stars and makes us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/we-shall-board-our-imagined-ship-and-wildly-sail-among-sacred-islands/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [...we shall board our imagined ship and wildly sail among sacred islands of the mad till death shatters the fabulous stars and makes us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/we-shall-board-our-imagined-ship-and-wildly-sail-among-sacred-islands-2/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [“He had dipped his right forefinger in his own blood and had written a single word on the blue tiles above the tub, written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/he-had-dipped-his-right-forefinger-in-his-own-blood-and-had-written-a/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“The sigh of all the seas breaking in measure round the isles soothed them; the night wrapped them; nothing broke their sleep, until, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-sigh-of-all-the-seas-breaking-in-measure-round-the-isles-soothed/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [It may be said that poems are in one way like icebergs: only about a third of their bulk appears above the surface of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-nemerov/it-may-be-said-that-poems-are-in-one-way-like-icebergs-only-about-a/) [Howard Nemerov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-nemerov/) > [Two days like icebergs bleak, blank, half-melting, all frigid, mainly out of sight, and definitely a threat to peace of mind drifted by and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/two-days-like-icebergs-bleak-blank-half-melting-all-frigid-mainly-out/) [Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/) > [Like icebergs, people normally expose only a small part of themselves, and generally just the part they wish to show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/like-icebergs-people-normally-expose-only-a-small-part-of-themselves/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We are like icebergs in the ocean: one-eighth part consciousness and the rest submerged beneath the surface of articulate apprehension.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gerhardie/we-are-like-icebergs-in-the-ocean-one-eighth-part-consciousness-and/) [William Gerhardie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gerhardie/) > [“Thoughts always moved slowly through Brutha’s mind, like icebergs. 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