Would you rather have something or be something? Or have you ever stopped to think what the difference was between having and being? In reality, having and being are two totally different things and the purpose of this article will be to provide evidence of the differences. In this article we will refer to many different stories and poems to adequately describe the meaning of having or being. Some of these include My Last Duchess, The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber, Everyday Use and The Destructors. The remainder of this article will describe the differences between having or being set by examples from stories and poems that have been analyzed. Before continuing to discuss the differences between having and being, this section of the document will define each term. The term have is something you have or possess. It is a possession that is contained within or above oneself. Furthermore, the term have can bring out feelings of happiness or pleasure. Additionally, there are single identifying words that describe having. These include I-it, mechanistic, conformity, and objects. These are all words that describe and give meaning to the term have. Now that we understand having, let's describe being. Being is defined as living as something. Being is an act of presence and does not necessarily have any importance. Furthermore, being is defined as someone or something that is generic in its own way. Identifying words that describe being include I-Thou, organic, uniqueness, and presences. Now that you understand the meaning of both terms, the next and remaining part of the article will provide examples of short stories and poems. As stated before... halfway through the article... she doesn't necessarily want the quilt, but she wants to follow the legacy and ideas behind the quilt. The quilt has a sense of white heritage followed by a black tradition. This is the opposite of Dee where she just wants to own the quilt, but Maggie actually wants to be the quilt in a way. Maggie wants to use the quilt like her grandmother did and follow the same principles as her family. Both of these scenarios show and demonstrate the difference between having and being. In this story the quilt was a possession that Dee had to have, but Maggie wanted to be the quilt and follow her traditions. In summary, all these pieces of literature exemplify the difference between having and being. Each story shows this differently, but in the end there is a clear difference between having and being whether it be objects, possessions, feelings or traditions.