Final answer:
The claim that Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey's poem helped establish the English sonnet form with its irregular rhyme scheme is true. Surrey introduced a new structure that influenced English poetry and was vital in the development of the Shakespearean sonnet.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey's "Love, that doth reign and live within my thought" demonstrates an irregular rhyme scheme, which helped establish the English sonnet form is true. Surrey is credited with developing the Shakespearean sonnet, which uses a different rhyme scheme from the traditional Petrarchan sonnet. Surrey's adaptation introduced a rhyme scheme with three quatrains followed by a concluding couplet, typically with the pattern abab cdcd efef gg. This format became a significant feature of English poetry and was later popularized by William Shakespeare.
It is important to note that the development of the English sonnet was a notable event in the history of poetry, as it offered a new way for poets to express their creativity within the constraints of a structured poetic form. Surrey's contributions to English literature include experimenting with verse and imposing a more fixed structure to the sonnet while still providing flexibility for the poet's expression.
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