Try reading Bacon (the original). If you need to, take some notes. I haven't read it in years, but as I remember, he was pretty clear, and it was a short section. You just have to read it.

I sympathize with the problem of forgetting what you had just read. Realize that this is a failure in reading: you do not know how to read. I know, that sounds crazy, but reading is a complex task that can be done at various levels. Go to your library and take out Mortimer Adler's How to Read a Book. There's a lot to it, but at the very least it will open your eyes as to your responsibilities both to yourself, and to the author - and the possibilities. And this isn't a moral failure: your education failed you, but you can remedy it easily, if you will.

Thank you, politely. I'm sorry that my education is a failure.