system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why do rockets go straight up instead of taking off like a plane?

In light of the recent launches I was wondering why rockets launch straight up instead of taking of like a plane. 

It seems to take so much fuel to go straight up, and in my mind I can't see to get my head around why they don't take off like a plane and go up gradually like that.

Edit - Spelling and grammar

Edit 2 - Thank you to everyone who responded. You have answered a life long question.
gpt
Airplanes have air breathing engines (edit: and wings). This is great, since it means they don't need to carry their own oxygen, but it's not as effective at producing thousands of tons of thrust with a smallish device and they can't run in space. 

Rockets don't use air breathing engines (edit: or wings) because they're too heavy, not powerful enough, and don't work in space. As a result, they don't benefit in any way from being in the atmosphere, and since the atmosphere has air resistance they'd like to get out of it as quickly as possible - especially the lowest, thickest, parts of it.