Objective correlative is a term T. S. Eliot used for a set of images, objects, events, or situations that calls up a particular emotion without naming that emotion directly. Instead of telling readers how a speaker feels, the poem presents concrete details that make the feeling recognizable.
Writers use this technique to let emotion emerge through description, action, and setting rather than explanation.
Example
The kitchen clock ticks over a cold plate of pears;
a chair sits tipped against the wall;
rain taps the window while the front door stays shut.
By the last line, the silence feels like grief.